Saving The Lost
by Shade the Hero Project-X
Summary: Maleficent has won. Riku is held Prisoner, Sora is about to be executed and no one will say what happened to Kairi. Sora blames himself for everything and all seems lost. It's up to some strong and well known fighters to come to the rescue. Will Sora be able to recover and finish what he started? Or will Maleficent continue to rule over all? AU
1. Judgement Day

_**This story is based off of a dream I had. I decided to take the idea and expand on it. I haven't decided on an ending yet and barely know what's going to happen beyond chapter three, but I promise it'll be good. Look what happened to "Bond of Flame" and that was originally suppose to be a one-shot. ;) **_

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**Saving the Lost**

**Chapter One**

_How did this happen?...How could everything have boiled down the this? Why did this have to happen to me...?_

Thoughts like this kept swirling the young boy's mind as he sat on the cold stone floor, chained to the wall by his wrists. His clothes, which were once rich in color and contained a special power were now ripped, torn and faded, their power long gone. His once bright, kind eyes were now soulless and defeated. The one power he still wielded he refused to wield, for it had caused nothing but death and destruction.

The only form of comfort he had left, was knowing that his only surviving friend was in the next cell over. He couldn't see him, but he knew he was there. The two best friends had once shared a dream to leave their home seek out new worlds, to see new places and meet new people. To share grand adventures and discover what destiny had in store for them. That was over two years ago, if the boy could take it all back, he would and he never would have left his island. He would rather have met his fate at the hands of the heartless; the very creatures he had sworn to destroy.

As far as the boy was concerned he was as good as dead. He no longer had the strength to go on. His body was bruised, broken and bleeding. His fighting spirit and normal carefree nature had long since died and it wouldn't be long before his body did the same.

A commotion down the hall alerted the two prisoners that they were about to have a visitor. The boy was used to this. It was too soon for meal time. His usual slop didn't arrive 'til sunset. Perhaps it was the witch herself, coming to gloat and boast of her ultimate triumph. It turned out to be neither as several Neo-soldier heartless came down the hall with new shackles. They past the first boy's cell and stopped at the cell of their most hated and feared enemy.

The boy was unchained from the wall and forced to his feet. One of the heartless was forced to help the boy stand as they slapped on the new shackles and began pulling him out.

As they passed by the other occupied cell the silver-hair teen got a glimpse at his friend and the horrible condition he was in. Riku could barely believe his eyes. He had never seen his best friend like that and it scared him. So much so, that he couldn't believe it really was him.

"Where are you taking him?" Riku demanded as he launched himself at the bars. He managed to grab Sora's sleeve and refused to let go.

"Sora! You've got to snap out of it! We can still turn this around! Things look hopeless now, but it's not impossible! We can still win!"

Riku tried to revive his friend's fighting spirit. It was hard as it was usually Sora who was the encouraging voice of their team. But, Sora wasn't the same person after the torture he had been through.

"What's the point? She's gone because of me."

Riku was taken aback by Sora's response. He was about to talk some sense into his friend when the heartless succeeded in separating the two, forcing Riku away from the bars long enough to pull Sora away and lead him back up the stairs.

"It wasn't your fault, Sora!" Riku cried out to his friend.

"It wasn't your fault!"

The dungeon doors slammed, cutting off any further outbursts.

Sora was led outside, into the courtyard of what used to be the beautiful garden of Disney Castle. Now renamed The Forbiddon Palace, it had been transformed to look more like Maleficent's previous home in the Forbidden Mountains. She was standing in the courtyard center. Other people who had been summoned from different worlds to watch the event stood along the edges, while trying to be careful of the sharp thorns that snaked around the walls like devious serpant-like vines.

As Sora was forced to kneel before Maleficent he took a moment to glance around at his surroundings. He recognized some of the people. Pinocchio and his father, Gepetto were there. Scrooge Mc'Duck was there, as was Jack Skellington, Jack Sparrow and Aladdin.

"My, my, such a big crowd for such a special occasion. Allow me to be the first to thank you all for attending." Maleficent began as she addressed the crowd.

"It wasn't by choice, Ya wicked lass!" Scrooge huffed in a foul temper. He remembered how rudely the messengers had treated him and the threat in the invitation to anyone who refused.

Maleficent seemed hurt by his reply. "Why, Mr. Mc'Duck, surely you wouldn't miss out on something as important as this; the last chapter in my magnificent triumph."

"There's nothing magnificent about killing the innocent!" He retorted.

"Innocent?" Maleficent laughed. "Look around you, Duck. All of you are helpless and defeated and it's all thanks to this boy. I brought you all here to witness his end and perhaps give you hope of one day returning to your normal lives. He is the one who made your lives miserable. He challenged the darkness and it unleashed its mightiest forces as a result. Had he chose to mind his own business none of this would have happened. In fact, I should be thanking him."

She then turned to Sora and bowed to him in mocking fashion. "I couldn't have done it without you, Sora."

The boy merely kept his eyes trained on the ground in front of him, not giving any hint that he had heard her, in fact he hadn't. He was trapped in his own thoughts. All these worlds he had visited and helped, but it didn't seem to matter in the end. Everything they had worked for was undone in a single week. How could he have been so blind? The keyblade had chosen wrong and he was about to pay the price...actually, he had already paid the price when he had lost the person he cared the most for.

Maleficent motioned for the heartless to bring forth the person who would end Sora's suffering.

Pete seemed oddly nervous as he approached the center of the courtyard. The wicked witch glared at him. "Well? Go ahead. He's given you nothing but trouble as well. Finish him, and earn your place as my second in command."

"B-but I..." Pete stuttered.

"But what? Has he not given you just as much trouble as the rest of us?" She asked.

Pete thought back to all of the trouble the 'runt with the keyblade has caused. Sora had made Pete look like a fool many times, but he also remember a time long before joining Maleficent's ranks. Sora had helped him recover his steam boat from a look-a-like thief. Sure Sora had also mistaken him for a bad guy at first, but it was a simple case of mistaken identity.

Pete looked over at Maleficent, then back at Sora and once again at the witch.

"What's the matter?" She asked, getting annoyed.

"This don't feel right." Pete finally answered.

"Are you saying you refuse?!" Maleficent's anger was growing as green and black flames began to pulse from around her.

Pete gulped and took a step back. Earlier that day, he knew he would have the honor of killing the key bearer, but he was expecting a fight, or at least some resistance. Pete had been looking forward to it, but now, after seeing how defeated the kid looked, he couldn't bring himself to do it. There was no spark, no defiance, no confident attitude, Sora looked dead on his feet, as if he had already lost himself to the darkness.

"You useless imbecile!" Maleficent cried. "I'll finish him then, if you're too afraid!"

She raised her staff towards Sora and was about to strike him down when the rescue action was put into play.

From out of his pocket, Aladdin pulled out the magic lamp and gave it a rub. Pink and Blue fireworks began shooting into the sky.

As Maleficent turned to see what was happening the sound of an engine was heard. It kept getting louder until a Black motorcycle shot out from over the far wall and landed in the courtyard.

Its rider had a black outfit on and goggles that protected his eyes. Several compartments opened up from the side of his bike to expose several swords. Taking three of them, he connected them together into one before removing his goggles and brandishing his weapon at the witch. "Why not try your luck with someone who can fight back?" Asked the soldier.

"Well, if it isn't our dear friend Cloud." She remarked. "I see your still having trouble finding your light."

"That may be, but at least it wasn't hard to find Sora's."

Maleficent laughed. "Light? Whatever light he has left is dim at best. See for yourself, he's nothing but a shadow of his former self."

Cloud smirked. "I can see just fine, it's you who needs to get her eyes checked."

"Why you!" She shouted as she aimed her staff his way, but Cloud was too fast. In one swift motion he cut her staff in two with his sword before slicing clean through the shackles that imprisoned Sora. "C'mon!" He shouted, but Sora didn't move.

Cloud had no choice but to grab Sora by the arm and shove him onto his bike. during this time the neo soldiers had gathered and were preparing to attack, but the other members in the gathered crowd had begun to fight back.

Jack Skellington used his fire magic and spinning arms to knock down several enemies. Aladdin was swinging his curved blade. Jack Sparrow also wielded a blade, but he was also using his wit to make the heartless fight each other. Two of the soldiers stabbed each other when Sparrow jumped out of the way.

Pete took off like a coward as Maleficent went to launch herself at Cloud. She hadn't come this far to lose her chance to finish off the key bearer once and for all, but before she got close she was tripped by Scrooge's cane.

"Better luck next time lass!" He called with a snicker as he ran to help Cloud get Sora onto the seat. "Snap out of it, laddie! You've got to pull yourself together!"

Still no response. "It's no use Cloud! He's stuck is a daze!"

"Well then, we'll just have to escape without his help." Cloud replied as he opened the compartment once more and handed one of the other swords to Scrooge. "Know how to use it?" He asked.

Scrooge took the sword which was about as long as his cane. His eyes spoke of all of the sword fights he had been in. "Aye!"

The small group of rebels fought off as many heartless as they could, but it soon became clear that they were hopelessly outnumbered.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Cried the Pumpkin King. He had used much of his magic and was running low on elixirs. Aladdin and Sparrow were also getting tired and the pirate had found himself stuck in a corner.

"There's too many!" Scrooge called to Cloud as they battled just to stay alive at this point. Escape seemed impossible and Maleficent relaxed at the thought.

That expression of joy turned to one of surprise when Merlin appeared in the middle of the fray.

"Oh my, this is quite the predicament. No matter, an easy fix." He said to himself.

"Just get us out of here!" Scrooge blared at the sorcerer.

"Alright, no need to shout!" He replied. "Alakazam!" He shouted and all of the fighters had been engulfed in a puff of blue-ish grey smoke. When the area cleared, the Heartless and other forces of darkness were the only ones left in the courtyard.

Seeing this, Maleficent went on a rampage, destroying several heartless before stormed through the doors leading back to her personal chambers.

_~*~STL~*~_

The home of Master Yen Sid had been turned into the last fighting resistance against Maleficent and the heartless. It was there that Donald and Goofy were waiting for the group to return. When the chosen few were leaving, Donald had practically begged to go as had Goofy, but Cloud had openly pointed out that they had to appear casual. If the evil witch had seem them, then she'd know they were planning something. After everything Donald and Goofy had been through with Sora there was no way she would expect them to just stand by and watch. Now, it was simply a waiting game, and Donald was losing.

As he watched from the window Goofy was pacing around the room. "Gawrsh, do you think they're okay? What if they needed back up? What if the heartless got 'em?"

"You're not helping, Goofy!" Donald snapped. suddenly the front yard was filled with blue-ish grey smoke as the group appeared on the lawn. "They're back!" Donald shouted as he practically flew across the room.

The two charged down the stairs until Donald's feet tangled with Goofy's and the duo tumbled down the rest of the way, crashing through the front doors. they scrambled to get up as the group finally got a chance to see the condition of the one they had rescued.

When Donald and Goofy reached Cloud's motorcycle they were appalled by the condition their friend was in.

Before either of the two could approach, Merlin appeared next to Sora and noticed that the boy had fallen unconscious.

"Oh dear, let's get him inside."

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**_It's official, spell check hates me. TT-TT_**


	2. Broken Key

_**Well, this chapter didn't take as long as I thought it would. I've been so focused on my other KH fic that I didn't think I'd get back to this for another week. :)**_

_**Disclaimer! I do not own Kingdom Hearts, that title and all related characters belongs to Disney and Square Enix.**_

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**Chapter Two**

Sora was drifting. He could feel that he was lying on his back and floating on the surface of water. It was a nice escape from the hell he had been through over the past few weeks. Sora had lost all sense of time being trapped in that cell, but he knew it had been long enough for Maleficent to change not only Disney Castle, but every other world to her liking. Heartless ran wild and no one was able to stop them.

All of that seem to fade now though, as he calmly drifted through gentle waves. It was similar to the dreams he once had before being chosen by the keyblade. As he washed up on the shore he finally gave in to curiosity and sat up to look around. He was back on the shores of Destiny Islands. It was sunset and everything was just as peaceful as the day before the heartless attacked. It seemed like a lifetime ago now, but all of the memories came rushing back. He almost expected to look up and see Kairi standing over him and accusing him of being lazy.

Suddenly he felt a strange feeling of loneliness, as if someone who was once always there had only been a figment of his imagination. A voice made him turn towards the ocean. It was Riku! He was waving to Sora and then held out his hand, beckoning for Sora to join him.

Sora knew this dream. He had experienced it before and knew what to expect, or at least he thought he did.

As he ran into the shallows to meet up with Riku the water suddenly turned pitch black and resembled the shadows that threatened to engulf him like that horrible day when Destiny Islands was swallowed by the darkness. Riku still stood there, but he seemed weak and injured. As if the dark water was causing him great pain. Sora ran to reach his friend and get him to safety when a wave rose up from the depths and threatened to wash over them, but Sora froze in place as two glowing yellow eyes appeared in the center of the wave. The water transformed into large, outstretched wings of a dragon and a snout appeared just below the eyes as the wave charged towards Riku. Sora called out his name and as the older boy turned, his face was painted with a look of pure terror. The dragon's jaws opened up and swallowed Riku up in one bite. Its jaws clamped shut as the dragon now headed for Sora. Sora screamed and raised his arms in front of his face as the wave crashed into him and he was swallowed by darkness.

"Sora!...Sora calm down! Hey! Can somebody give me a hand in here?!"

Tifa, a woman with long black hair that came down to the middle of her back and an equally black outfit tried to keep the boy calm, but was having little success.

Donald and Goofy entered and offered their help. The friendly knight tried shaking his friend, but that had no effect, Donald tried next by using a light ice spell, but that only made Sora toss and turn more violently.

"You're making it worse!" Tifa snapped.

Jack Sparrow was heading down the hall with a mop bucket full of water. He had been forced to scrub the floors after stealing something from the Good Faries' room and was making his way to carry out his punishment when he just happened to peak in and see what was unfolding.

Without a second thought he made his way in and threw the bucket of warm, soapy water over the boy's head.

This had the desired effect as Sora shot up into a sitting position coughing and choking.

The rest of the group glared at the pirate who held his hands up. "What? I got the lad to wake up didn't I?"

"There are better ways you know." Tifa replied.

"You're welcome." Sparrow replied.

They returned their gaze back to Sora who was looking around the room in a panic. "W-where?"

"It's alright, you're in Master Yen Sid's house. You're safe." Tifa told him, trying to calm him as best she could. She hadn't been part of the rescue mission and couldn't even begin to imagine what he must have went through.

Sora seemed to relax a little as he bent up his legs and hugged them, letting his chin rest on his knees.

"You were in bad shape when you were rescued Sora, everyone was real worried." Goofy told him, trying his best to be helpful.

"Yeah, but Cloud told everyone that you were a tough kid and that you'd be fine!" Donald added.

Sora's face suddenly seemed to darken as he buried his face in his knees. That was when the group heard feint sobs coming from the teen.

This scared Donald and Goofy. They had never seen their friend act like this. They expected him to sigh in relief or to smile, or laugh or something cheerful. Tifa hadn't known Sora for very long, but it worried her as well and Jack, well...he was occupied by his reflection in the mirror.

A Spiky blonde-haired man entered the room and glanced over at Jack. "I've been looking for you. You were suppose to start cleaning almost an hour ago. What are you doing in here?"

"Sorry mate, but it seems the water for my punishment was needed in the act of the more heroic kind." The pirate replied while waving his hand around, trying to indicate the event that took place.

"You mean when you nearly drowned Sora?" Donald asked with a non-amused glance towards the pirate.

"How is he?" Cloud asked as he glanced for the first time over at the young teen.

"I...don't know." Tifa replied, uncertainty thick in her voice.

"He was havin' some sorta nightmare and he's been like this ever since he woke up." Goofy added.

Cloud approached the bed and examined Sora. The boy kept his face buried, making it impossible to read his expression. Was what Maleficent said true? Had Sora given up all hope? Seeing how worried the others were, Cloud decided to keep these thoughts to himself. Besides, it was too soon to tell at this point.

"He's been through a lot. Give him a few days to come around. And Jack,..." Cloud glared at the pirate who was trying to slink out of the room. "If you ever do that again, I'll make you wish you had stayed behind to face Maleficent on your own."

Jack saw the deadly gaze in Cloud's eyes and resisted the urge to gulp. "Aye-aye Sir. I'll just get started on the swabbin' then, shall I?" With that he quickly left the room.

With the troublesome pirate out of the way, Cloud turned to the others. "Yen Sid's called a meeting. He wants all of us there." He looked down at Sora who had not once looked up and kept his face buried in his knees. "Merlin was hoping Sora would be able to tell us what had happened or a way to possibly defeat Maleficent-"

"It's impossible."

Everyone turned to look at Sora who had finally spoken.

"Come again?" Goofy asked.

"Maleficent can't be beaten. I tried...I gave it everything I had, but it wasn't enough." Sora's voice was muffled, but it was easy to tell he was fighting back tears.

"Alone it may be impossible, but not if we work together." Tifa replied.

"You don't get it!" Sora looked up and glared at her. "It doesn't matter if you fight her alone or with an army, she'll always win!"

"Sora! What's gotten into you?" Donald asked.

"She's..." He tried to fight back the tears of pain and regret, he tried so hard. He was fighting with every word. "She's gotten stronger and...and..."

"And what?" Donald tried not to snap, but his patience was wearing thin.

"She..." Sora's fists began to shake with pain and rage. "K-Kai..." Tears started to fall and he gave up trying to stop them.

Goofy and Donald knew the name he was trying to say and they also knew the serious problems it would mean. "What happened to Kairi?" Goofy asked as gently as he could.

"I don't know!" Sora finally shouted as tears openly flowed down his face before he buried his head in his knees once more. "Maleficent took her away and then...I heard her scream. She was in pain. I never saw her after that!"

Donald and Goofy gasped in shock. Tifa's eyes widened in surprise as she turned her gaze away, unable to bear the sight of Sora's anguish any longer.

Cloud just stood there and watched the boy for a moment. He had become used to losing people he cared for, perhaps that was partly the reason why he had a difficult time finding his light, but this was obviously something Sora wasn't used to and he was taking it hard. Cloud knew from experience that if he didn't do something soon, Sora may lose himself to the darkness.

With a nod to Tifa he stood to the side as she understood and ushered Goofy and Donald out of the room where she continued to lead them down the hall and into the meeting room, much to their protests.

Cloud waited until he was sure they were gone before he spoke. Glancing over at Sora he let out a quite, yet understanding sigh. "I know it hurts,...losing someone you care for. It's alright to grieve for them. But you can't let it consume you or you'll lose sight of everything else that's important."

"How can you understand?" Sora moaned in a flat, depressed tone. His voice cracked from crying.

"I'm a soldier." Cloud simply replied. "I've lost people I cared for. Some of them were my best friends. for the longest time I blamed myself and as a result I set up a wall between myself and everyone else. That's when the darkness began to consume me."

The sniffling sounds slowly began to stop. Cloud took this as a notion to continue.

"I let the darkness guide me for a long time. Hoping that no one else would get hurt because I wasn't there to save them. It was during one of those times that I met you. Back in the Coliseum. You had a strong light then and I told you to never lose sight of it."

Sora didn't move.

"When I said that, I meant no matter what life throws at you. You were chosen by the keyblade. It's your destiny to bring peace to the worlds. You've done a good job so far, think of all the people you met and helped until now. Many of them are downstairs right now because of you. And when we heard that you had been taken prisoner we formed a rescue plan. You'd be amazed by how many people volunteered to go to the palace to get you out."

"They should have left me." Sora replied. His eyes were still damp, but he was no loner crying. His eyes were tired and his voice was depressed as he looked out the window.

Cloud was having a hard time believing what had happened to the once cheerful teen.

"Do you not realize that Maleficent was about to kill you?" He asked.

"I wanted her to." Sora replied.

Cloud couldn't believe what he had just heard. "How can you say that?!"

He took a step forward causing Sora to lift his head and gaze up at the soldier. Cloud was furious. The look in his stone cold eyes was enough to send a shiver down Sora's spine.

"Think back to everything you've done! Every heartless and villain you've fought. I'm sure those odds were stacked against you, but you didn't waver then, why are you starting now? Just because there's no fifty foot monster in front of you doesn't mean you give up! Stop feeling sorry for yourself and think of a way to set things right!"

Sora had never seen Cloud so angry before, sure he was tough when they first met and the teen had lost to him, but even then his eyes didn't carry the intense wrath that they know held.

Down in the meeting room everyone was arguing about several topics. Mostly about how to get everyone from the worlds to a safe place.

"Why don't we load some Gummi Ships and find a new world, one that everyone can live in?" Mulan asked the group.

"Yes, thanks to that evil witch we all know the others worlds exist anyway, what difference would it make?" Jack Skellington added in.

"No!" Cried Triton, who had used his trident to turn himself human in order to travel to different worlds. "Each world has its own laws that its residents must follow! To throw them all into one place would cause nothing short of complete chaos!"

"Yeah, ol' fish boy is right." Came the voice of Phil.

"Why can't we just fight Maleficent ourselves? We beat her once." Aladdin asked.

"No! We were told before, we have to be led by a key bearer in order to challenge her in full force. Without one there's no way to restore the worlds back to the way they were." Beast growled.

"Well that's easy!" Jack Skellington replied. "Now that we have one, all we have to do is wait until he recovers and then we can put an end to this madness!"

"Hey, Tifa, how's the junior hero doing?" Phil asked the girl sitting opposite of him. She exchanged looks between Donald and Goofy, none of them wanted to reveal Sora's condition to them just yet. Not with everyone so worked up.

"He still hasn't woken up yet. I guess all that time as her prisoner really took its toll on him." She replied.

"Yeah, well hopefully he's fit and ready to go when he wakes up. Cause we got a lot of planning to do if he's gonna lead us to victory!" Phil scoffed.

Tifa only wished that Cloud was having better luck then they were. She wouldn't have to wait long as Cloud entered the room.

"What is it?" Merlin asked him.

Cloud looked around at the group and focused on those who had been part of the rescue mission.

"We have a problem."


	3. Bad Advice

_**Yeah, I wanted to apologize for last chapter's cliffhanger. ^^; It wasn't planned to end that way, but it ended up working out okay. At least I think so. **_

_**Disclaimer! Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix.**_

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**Chapter Three**

The Forbidden Palace had been a scene of complete chaos after the morning's events. To say Maleficent was angry was a severe understatement. She was down right enraged. Right now she directed all of that fury towards Pete.

The frightened villain had tried to run and hide somewhere, but his escape route had been cut off as she closed in on him, finally cornering him in an old broom closet, where he foolishly tried to hide behind a stack of brooms and dust pans. He was way too big to effectively conceal himself.

Maleficent fired a green blast from the end of her staff which she had just repaired using her dark magic. Pete ducked as it struck the wall directly where the big guy had stood a millisecond before, leaving a black mark on the wall. The blast also alerted someone else who heard Pete's whimpering and decided to listen in.

Maleficent could barely contain her raging green flames as they pulsated around her. "Fool! I should eliminate you right now! Your actions today destroyed the best chance we had to destroy the forces of light for good!"

She extended her arms out, causing the flames to burn more intensely. Pete tried to calm himself enough to speak, but it wasn't easy. He felt like he was staring down a viper. If he made the wrong move serpent would strike. He tried the only thing he knew had worked before. Showing her a new viewpoint. Maybe, just maybe she didn't see what he saw.

"But Maleficent, you ain't got nothin' to worry about. That kid's as good as dead."

"What are you blubbering about? Thanks to that pathetic resistance the boy will most surely recover and come back stronger than before and all that I've done will have meant nothing." She replied.

Pete smiled at this, she really hadn't seen what he did.

"That's where your wrong. See, the reason I didn't finish him off was because he had no fighting spirit. The punk looked dead on his feet. Why, he didn't even budge the whole time everyone was fighting. That guy with the bike had to carry him to safety. I think he's nothin' but a walkin' shell. Who knows, maybe now it'll be easier just to turn him into a heartless!"

Maleficent glared at Pete for a good while. Every word that came out of his mouth was useless garbage...or...maybe it wasn't. She would never admit it out loud, but he did have a point. Perhaps the empty accusation she had told the soldier held a grain of truth.

"Turn him into a heartless? That's already been tried before, somehow he managed to recover." She flatly stated.

"But, wasn't is cuz' of that girl? Now that she's outta the way there'll no one ta bring him back!" Pete replied, for once sounding very smart and sure of himself and Maleficent noticed.

"Well, it seems you have your rare moments of wisdom, very well. I shall give you one last chance to redeem yourself. Your task is to capture the key bearer and bring him here. I plan to turn him into a heartless myself, to make sure there won't be any more set backs."

Pete smiled with an evil grin. "Once he's a heartless he'll be on the front lines fighting against all his little buddies. Hahaha!"

"Stop wasting time!" Maleficent barked. "And get out of my sight!"

Pete took his chance to leave and did so very quickly. Maleficent was left alone in the small room as she listened to the sounds of the clumsy oaf grow distant. "...Perhaps today's failure can fall into my favor after all." With that she left and made her way to plan her next move.

The one who had been eavesdropping heard every word. There were some things that worried him, but one thing made him relax. Sora was alive. For the first time in weeks he had something to smile about.

"Whaddaya mean we left somebody behind?!" Phil shouted in response to Cloud's news. "We got Sora out safe! Mission accomplished!"

"Riku's still trapped there. According to Sora he was kept in a separate cell next to his." Cloud replied.

"Can't Merlin just zip in, grab the boy and zip out?" Asked the Pumpkin King.

"I-I'm afraid not," Merlin replied. "I was only able to get you out of there because Maleficent was too distracted by the confusion of the rescue. I'm afraid it'd be impossible to try it again."

"Then what do we do? We can't just leave him there." Mulan stated.

"I'm afraid there's not much we can do. We're not strong enough to get past her defenses." Triton replied.

"You know that won't stop Sora." Aladdin stated. "He'll find a way. He always does, right guys?" He looked over at Donald and Goofy. Both of them tried to look confident, but inside they knew the real condition of their friend.

"He won't help."

The whole room went silent and turned to look at Cloud. Everyone was unsure if they had heard right.

"What do you mean?" Mulan finally asked.

Cloud thought back to the last part of the conversation he had with the teen.

* * *

_"Sora, I know you went through hell, but everyone needs you. It's the only way to save your friend and finally put an end to that witch."_

_"I can't." _

_"Why can't you? What happened to you?"_

_Sora didn't need to explain to him the reason he blamed himself. He didn't know what happened to Kairi, but it didn't matter. She got hurt and it was his fault. He never should have invited her to come with him. _

_"...Never again." He whispered. _

_"What?" Asked Cloud. _

_"I'll never use the Keyblade again." _

* * *

The whole room was in shock. They had been counting on Sora to lead the way and dispel the darkness and return everything back to the way it should be. It never occurred to them that the darkness could get to him.

Jack Skellington was the first to recover. "Oh, I'm sure everything will work out. Sora's a tough fellow, if we just give him some time to get his strength back I'm sure he'll be right as rain in no time. Then we can really give that witch a scare!"

"I hope you're right, Jack. If not then all the worlds are in big trouble." King Triton replied.

Master Yen Sid, who had so far been silent decided to voice his thoughts.

"This is indeed a grave matter. If the key bearer truly has given up then the worlds will continue to fall into darkness."

The group reflected on their own worlds. While their homes had not yet been consumed by the darkness, the heartless had invaded and were swarming in larger numbers than ever before.

King Triton's thoughts were focused on his daughter Ariel, and hoped that she was keeping the palace safe with the help of her sisters. Before leaving, he had placed a protective barrier to keep out the heartless, but it was up to the light from his children's' hearts to keep it strong. He had confidence in his youngest, as she was quite spirited and didn't give in easily.

Jack Skellington wondered about Sally and all of the other residents of his beloved town. The mayor panicked easily just worrying about normal Halloween preparations, Jack had no idea how he'd handle an army of heartless charging through. Thankfully, Dr. Finkelstein had built some defenses for the town that would at the very least slow the enemy down and Sandy Claws had agreed to offer the town's people a place to flee to if they needed to evacuate.

Mulan worried about her home and her family, but Shang assured her that they would be fine. The Emperor's palace was well guarded and Her family had been sent thereto keep them safe.

Aladdin wasn't that worried. He had told Genie to stay behind and keep his home safe, despite the big blue guy's tears that threatened to fill the room he finally agreed and promised that nothing would happen as long as he was around.

Phil wasn't worried either. He knew his star pupil was more than enough the take on any heartless that dared set foot in his arena.

Beast wondered how Belle was holding up. Before he left he had given all of the silver guard statues to keep everyone safe until he returned. It was Belle who told him they could handle themselves and after what had happened before, she had hoped that he would trust her. He did trust her, but he was also worried for her safety. In the end he agreed as long as she didn't do anything dangerous.

Scrooge was a bit concerned for his nephews, but they were strong lads and he was confident that they could handle themselves.

"We must plan our next actions carefully." Yen Sid continued. "Maleficent has no doubt began putting new plans in motion and the heartless will be even more aggressive than before now that Sora has been freed. I strongly recommend that we all take care while we seek out more allies."

"But where do we start looking?" Phil asked. "We already scanned the universe once and this is all we found." He waved his hands around the room indicating their small group. "Everyone else either high-tailed it outta there or refused."

"What about the king?" Asked Goofy.

"I am afraid he has not been seen in quite some time." Yen Sid replied.

"I wish he was here." Donald sighed. "He'd know how to help Sora."

"Yeah, just like he helped Riku." Goofy added.

Something dawned on some of the group. "You don't think?" Tifa began.

"It's worth a shot." Merlin replied.

"What?" Phil asked.

"If we can somehow sneak into the palace and get Riku out of there...maybe he could help guide Sora through his doubt." answered the wizard. "He was once lost in the darkness and was found by the king. King Mickey trained him and helped him focus on the light and as a result he was finally able to conquer the darkness in his heart."

"I still don't get it." Phil folded his arms on the table.

"For someone who's heart once resided in darkness, who better than Riku to help Sora find rediscover his light?" Yen Sid replied.

"Well what are we waiting for? Halloween?" Jack asked. "Let's hurry and think of the best people to send and form a plan!"

Back up in the guest room, Sora had tried getting some sleep. It was nice sleeping in a warm, soft bed, but he couldn't bring himself to fall asleep. His previous dream still haunted him and when he closed his eyes he saw nothing but darkness and two glowing yellow eyes.

_"What a fine mess you've gotten yourself into."_

"Huh?" Sora sat up and looked around. Where did that voice come from? It sounded familiar, but where had he heard it before?

As he swept his eyes over the room again a furry purple tail swished in front of him. Sora glanced upwards to see the Cheshire Cat perched atop of his head.

"Oh my my, it seems you have a lot on your mind."

Sora glared at the cat, he was in no mood for riddles. "What do you want?"

"The real question is, what do _you_ want?" The cat replied with a smile.

"What I want is to be left alone." Sora replied in a grumpy tone as he laid back down and covered the blanket over his head.

The Cheshire Cat floated and landed on Sora's side. "Well my friend, it seems you're not being honest with yourself."

"What are you talking about?" Came a grumpy response from under the blanket.

"If you want to be alone, then why don't you leave this place? The tower is full of people and you can't truly be alone if you're surrounded by friends."

"Oh, go away already!" Sora grumbled.

"Why don't you?" The cat replied. With that he faded as if he had never been there.

Sora flipped the blanket off from his head and sat up. Despite being annoying, the cat had a good point. Staying here did nothing but bring danger to everyone. Maleficent wanted him, she wanted to finish him and while he still wasn't sure if he cared, he didn't want his friends to get hurt trying to protect him.

Making sure he was strong enough to stand, Sora got his shoes on and made sure he had everything. It was too bad he couldn't leave his keyblade behind, he thought as he peaked out of the room, but the keyblade was a part of him and always would be. But he wouldn't have to see it if he never summoned it.

"So there." He commented quietly to himself as he made his way down the hall and towards the platform where Donald's Gummi Ship (their Gummi Ship) sat stationary and ready for use. A passerby caught a glimpse of him just as he darted around the corner and out of sight.

* * *

**_Not much action this chapter, but we got a glimpse at the current state of the worlds. Looks like Maleficent isn't done with Sora by a long shot. What is that cat's deal? Putting ideas into Sora's head like that. Ohh~ This can't end well. u_u; _**


	4. Delivery Boy

_**Wow, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support. The reviews I've gotten have made me put in the effort to give you all the story you deserve and I wanted to take a moment to address some of your comments. **_

_**Drzhar - : If you liked the beginning then I hope you'll love what's waiting on the horizon. I've been doing some major brain-storming and I'm pleased to say that this story will not disappoint. **_

_**ElectroNerd - : Yes, cliffy after cliffy, I know I have a bad habit of pulling those out of my hat. I know it seems angsty now, but you never know what hte future will bring. ;)  
**_

_**Little Zephyr - : I'll try to limit the cliffhangers in this story. Though, I can't make any promises. The plot may be steady, but the individual chapters have yet to be written. **_

_**MegaFlameHedge - : As Sora said, Kairi's condition is unknown. He believes her to be dead, but everything may not be as it seems. I'm glad you like the resistance members. I'm not giving much away, but the gang is not yet complete. Who they are and when they arrive is unknown, but believe me when I tell you, you will not be disappointed. That's a promise. :) I also wanted to thank you for your kind words regarding Cloud. I was a bit unsure if I had successfully captured his character and didn't want to disappoint.  
**_

_**And thank you to everyone who faved and followed. I didn't think this story would make it this far, I hope you enjoy what's yet to come. **_

_**Okie Dokies, enough of the chit chat, let's get back to the story!**_

_**Disclaimer! Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix. **_

_**But Cloud comes home with me...(Hey, a girl can dream right? xD )**_

* * *

**Chapter Four**

After the meeting had ended the group had parted to prepare for the tasks they had bene given. Goofy and Donald had refused to take on any other task without Sora and were heading up to his room now. They didn't know what to say to their friend, but hoped that they could help him even a little, just by being there and letting him know that they had his support just as he always had since the day they met.

They turned around the corner and noticed that the door to Sora's room was slightly open. They opened it fully as they entered. Instead of Sora they saw Jack Sparrow looking out of the window.

"Jack!" Donald barked. "What are you doing in here?"

"And where's Sora?" Goofy added.

The pirate merely pointed out the window. "Looks like our faithful key bearer is flying the coop as it were."

"What?!"

Donald and Goofy rushed to the window just in time to see the Gummi Ship rise up with Sora as its sole pilot.

"Sora, don't do it!" They cried out, but their pleas went unheard as the ship took off into the sky and vanished out of sight until it twinkled like a star and was gone.

"Why didn't you stop him?!" Donald vented his anger on the pirate.

Jack shook his head and waved his finger in front of the duck's face. "If he wouldn't listen to the likes of you, 'is two best friends, what makes you think he'd listen to someone like me?"

The pirate had a point and Donald forced out a sigh in an attempt to relieve some of the stress that had built up. Goofy headed for the door. "C'mon Fellas, we gotta tell Master Yen Sid what happened."

_~*~STL~*~_

Sora really should have thought this whole thing through. He hadn't realized how hard it was to fly the Gummi Ship by yourself. It had always taken at least two people to successfully pilot. Navigation and steering alone weren't all that difficult, but doing that and manning the weapons were a completely different matter.

He had managed to avoid most of the heartless vessels, but not all of them passed him by. Some returned to follow and try to shoot him down. Sora's only chance was to outrun them. Kicking the Gummi Ship into high gear, he zigged and zagged around some massive asteroids. It was a dangerous path he chose to take, but it was his best chance to lose them.

As he got into the thick of it Sora regretted taking this path. He couldn't dodge both the heartless and the massive flying rocks that seemed drawn to his ship. The Gummi Ship had taken some major damage already and one of the two main engines was in the red. The enemy now had a clear signal to where Sora was as they followed the smoke trail like bread crumbs.

Sora looked back to fire at a heartless ship that had gotten too close, but he failed to see the massive asteroid flying straight at him. He saw too late and as he tried to turn the ship the flying boulder struck the remaining good engine and sending the ship into a downward spiral. Sora managed to crash-land on a larger, slower moving asteroid before jumping out of the ship and staring down the heartless that were closing in.

Instead of firing with their weapons, which would have easily ended his life, they got out of their ships and prepared for hand to hand combat. This convinced Sora of one thing; Maleficent wanted him captured alive. Well, he wasn't going to let her have her way. Either he defeated all of these heartless or died trying.

One of the heartless launched itself forward and Sora dodged it and rolled out of the way. Two more heartless came in closer and Sora used the only other weapon he had: Magic.

Using the power of fire he forced the heartless back and then came at them with an ice attack. He then tried something new and punched the frozen heartless as hard as he could. The creature shattered and vanished. This gave Sora a bit of hope. He didn't think he'd be able to fight the heartless effectively without his keyblade, but now it was an entirely different story.

"C'mon!" Sora challenged the heartless. The creatures looked at one another before charging in.

_~*~STL~*~_

Cloud Strife walked up the spiral staircase that led to Master Yen Sid's chamber. His face showing no expression, but behind his calm features he was slightly annoyed.

He reached the door and knocked once.

"Enter."

Cloud made his way inside and closed the door behind him. "What did you want? I was about to search for more recruits."

Yen Sid sat at his desk and shook his head. "Have you heard about what happened?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, Tifa told me. Sora ran away."

"Then you know what will happen if he's not found." Yen Sid replied.

"Yeah, but I don't see what it has to do with me. I already did my part." Cloud replied.

Yen Sid stood up and approached the warrior. "Riku was not the only person who once dwelled in darkness. Whether he has made it obvious or not, Sora has great respect for you."

"How do you figure that?" Cloud asked. He barely knew the kid. True he knew about Sora's past and everything he had done to save the worlds from the Heartless and the nobodies, he also had seen what the kid could do in battle first hand, both as his opponent and fighting alongside him in the battle that took place in Hollow Bastion. But he was still a far cry from calling himself his friend.

Yen Sid allowed a small smile to appear on his old features. "Because he opened up to you and not to his closest friends. Donald and Goofy are very close to him and yet he chose to share his fears to you. That means something whether you choose to believe it or not."

Cloud blinked in thought for a moment. "...So, you want me to go and find him, is that what you're getting at?"

"Yes." The great wizard replied.

"What if he won't come back?" Cloud asked as he looked the master in the eye.

"I never said anything about bringing him back. Whether he realizes it or not, Sora has set out on his biggest adventure yet, however he cannot win this battle on his own. There are still friends in the shadows of space and they will make a difference, but Sora needs a strong voice of reason. Someone who has walked that path before and reached the other side. As I've said before, you were also almost lost to the darkness. It is time for you to help Sora find his way back to the light."

"Hmph." Cloud turned to leave, his response seemed like a refusal at first, but as he opened the door he stopped. "I make no promises." He said as he left, closing the door behind him.

_~*~STL~*~_

Sora had been forced into a corner. His back was against a rocky wall as he held his shoulder in pain from where a shadow had attacked him with its claws. The teen cursed himself for being so out of practice with his magic. To make things worse, he still wasn't fully recovered from being held captive for so long. There was no way he was going to escape this fight and he knew it.

In one last effort Sora gathered the last of his energy for a thunder attack. It struck down some of the heartless, but not enough. Nine still remained. They weren't very strong heartless, but they were more than a match for Sora in his weakened state. He tried one last attack, but couldn't gather enough magic. He tried to dodge the attack as a shadow heartless pounced.

He wasn't quick enough and was struck in the back. The creature had barely missed his heart. "No!" Sora shouted as he fell. Memories of before flooded back to him. Lost in darkness, his name and memories fading. It was about to happen again and this time, he wouldn't be coming back.

He fell to the ground, too injured and out of energy to get back up. The heartless sensed their prey was defenseless and closed in for the final blow. Sora saw them coming, but there was nothing he could do.

What was this? He thought he didn't care if the darkness took him. Maybe he should accept his fate. Giving up would be so easy. He was ready. He wanted the shadows to take him. However, the heartless weren't attacking him anymore. Sora tried to see why, but his vision had become blurry and he was losing consciousness. The last thing he remembered hearing were three words that sounded familiar...

"Dance, Water! Dance!"

_~*~STL~*~_

Cloud was sitting on his motorcycle in the front yard of Yen Sid's house. His eyes were closed as his grip on the handle bars tightened. "Forget it, you're not coming with me!"

Donald and Goofy were standing in front of the bike, stopping Cloud from leaving.

"Sora's our pal! We're not gonna let him fight this battle alone!" Goofy told him.

"Yeah, we're in this together!" Donald replied.

"This is a solo mission. I'm going alone." Cloud replied. His tone was calm, but it was strained.

"Sorry Cloud, but we can't let you go by yourself. Even you would have trouble fighting the heartle-." Donald was cut short as the tip of Cloud's sword was barely an inch away from his beak.

"Let 'em try." Was Cloud's response. His eyes were cold and focused.

Merlin approached the trio. "Oh, Cloud! I'm glad I caught you before you left. Master Yen Sid wanted you to take this and give it to Sora when you find him." He handed the warrior a box wrapped in a string.

"Seems like the life of a delivery boy is never done." Cloud replied.

Merlin turned to Donald and Goofy next. "Yen Sid also has an important task for you two as well."

"Forget it! We're going with Cloud!" Donald argued.

"Listen to me," Merlin pleaded. "Cloud will find Sora and bring him back safely, in the meantime him will need an army to help him defeat Maleficent. We need your help to find more brave souls willing to challenge her evil. As the only ones who have traveled with Sora it's up to you two to find those brave enough to accept the call."

Donald and Goofy sighed before admitting defeat and nodding in acknowledgement. "You will find Sora, won't you?" Goofy asked Cloud, his voice full of concern for his friend.

"Count on it." He replied.

This seemed to satisfy the two and they finally moved out of the way and watched Cloud leave. A glowing blue path opened up that resembled a small road just big enough for his bike to travel on. The motorcycle revved to life and Cloud set out on his mission.

* * *

**_Oh Spellcheck, why do you hate me so?_**


	5. Intruders and Snivlers

_**I wasn't really happy with the last chapter. It felt too rushed in my opinion. So, from now on I'll try to space it out a bit more, and I may come back and add on to Chapter Four. I already plan to give each chapter a proper name once I get further along. **_

* * *

**Chapter Five**

The Forbidden Palace stood tall, silent and ominous, like a sleeping giant that no one wanted to wake. A team of three had been picked to go on the rescue mission to get Riku out of that horrible place. Jack Skellington who despite his height could blend in well was well versed in both physical attacks and was good with fire magic. Aladdin who was accompanied by his friend, Abu who rode on his shoulder. They were good at sneaking around and could slip past most defenses unnoticed. The third was Mulan who had proven to be very good at strategizing and thinking on her feet.

The fourth member was forced to wait behind. Jack Sparrow was to keep the Black Pearl hidden and ready for the others when they came back, most likely under attack. The pirate captain sulked over how unfair it was. He had offered the use of his vessel and only asked to liberate the castle of it's most valuable trinkets while the others saw the boy's escape. However his noble actions had been taken as selfish and cowardly. As a result he was forbidden from setting one foot outside of the ship. He headed into his cabin and pulled out a bottle containing his favorite drink. He popped the cork took a swig. After swallowing he looked back out towards the palace. "...Bugger." Down went another swig.

Mulan, Aladdin and the Pumpkin King snuck along the outer walls on the palace, being careful not to alert any of the guards of their presence.

"According to Goofy, the main gates are usually protected by a powerful barrier." Mulan told the others.

"Then how are we suppose to get in? I'm pretty sure we can't scale the walls, not without getting caught." Aladdin replied.

"Fear not Friends, where there's a will there's a way. We'll get in." Jack tried to assure the rest of his team. "Don't forget, we owe Sora for helping us. The least we can do is make sure his friend is safe."

"We know Jack. We all would have lost our worlds if Sora hadn't been there." Aladdin replied.

"Quiet!" Mulan urged in a hushed whisper as a Neo soldier heartless scanned the area just around the corner of the outer wall.

"This side is too well guarded. We need another way in." She said quietly before nodding for the others to back track while she kept watch from behind.

As they made their way along the rear of the castle wall, Jack waved over to the others with his famous skeleton grin. "Over here, look at this!" He called in a loud whisper.

The others gathered to see what the Halloween king had found and discovered a small door. Mulan turned the handle, but it was locked as she had expected. "We need to find another way in." she replied.

"No need." Came Aladdin's reply. "Why do you think I brought Abu along?"

The monkey took his cue and sat on Aladdin's shoulder looking into his vest pockets and pulling out a set of lock picks. Finding the one he was looking for he squeaked and chattered to Aladdin to bring him up to the door's handle which his friend obliged.

It was all the matter of a few easy turns before the group heard a small click and Abu pushed the door open. "See? Who needs a keyblade when you've got a locksmith like Abu?" Aladdin complimented his friend as they made their way inside, keeping close to the wall as they made their way towards the palace.

~*~STL~*~

In one of the upper floors of the castle a corridor of darkness opened up and a soaking wet Pete fell through. With his stomach on the ground, he lay there for a moment to catch his breath. The carpet soaking wet around him as water dripped from his outfit. Something squirming in his pocket startled him and he pulled out a fish. It glared at him before spitting water into his face and slapping him silly with its tail fin before leaping back through the portal before it vanished.

"D'oh, that's the last time I go 'Under Da Sea'! Man, those girls sure knew how to fight, 'specially that liddle red-head."

He stood up straight and looked around the room. For once he allowed himself a relieved sigh. Luck was shining on him tonight as he ended up in his own room. He could go to sleep right now and no one would be the wiser, especially Maleficent who had been running him ragged ever since he messed it up with the key bearer.

He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. "Pete," He said to himself. "You look dog tired, why don't ya take the night off? Get a good night's sleep and start fresh in the mornin'." With a chuckle to himself to got ready for bed.

Once he was all set; showered, teeth brushed, pajamas on, he pulled up the covers to climb into bed. He had just snuggled with his liddle shadow heartless plushie when a screech from down below woke him combined with the familiar sound of a heartless being defeated.

With a lazy groan, Pete made his way to the window. "What's goin' on? Can't a guy get any sleep 'round here?"

He looked down at the open courtyard, nothing. He scanned the outer lawns, nothing. He scanned the docks nearby, and saw a pirate ship with black sails.

Pete grumbled as he made his way back to his bed, seeing nothing out there except, "A ship with black sails?!"

He rushed back to the window and sure enough the ship was there, floating as if by magic. And to make things worse, it was a ship he recognized. "Well if it ain't the Black Pearl!" He took another glance around the yard and saw that one of the doors was hanging slightly open. Someone had invaded the castle!

Knowing that there were only two reasons one of the good guys would break into the palace Pete darted off to find Maleficent.

_~*~STL~*~_

Mulan and the others had made it inside of the palace. It was harder inside as more heartless paraded around, but not as sentries. Some of them were carrying mops and brooms. Obviously the new maintenance crew since the normal enchanted broomsticks were locked away in the closets. Or maybe not. One of them was struggling against a normal soldier heartless as it swept along the corridor; its hands tied tightly around its sides to keep it from flailing about.

This gave China's bravest woman an idea. "Let's free that broom. Maybe it can lead us to where they're keeping Riku."

The others nodded in agreement.

"I just hope our friend here can keep calm this time." Jack replied as he looked towards Abu. The monkey shrugged with a sheepish grin. After finding a door to the inside Abu had managed to pick the lock on it as well. It opened just as a heartless soldier made its way out. The monkey had been startled and screeched before Aladdin clamped a hand over his friend's mouth while Mulan took care of the soldier.

The group waited for the soldier to get closer before they struck. The heartless kept sweeping away, if he had a mouth, he most likely would have been whistling as he seemed to be carrying about his task in a cheerful way. As it made to turn the corner, looking down it didn't notice the skeleton hands creep over its head before they plucked the heartless and pulled it around the corner only for a swooshing sound to be heard and a small dark cloud appeared before the soldier was no more.

A few minutes later, Jack was keeping watch as Mulan freed the broom. It thanked her by hugging her and picked up a nearby mop bucket, something to give it comfort like a child who would hug its teddy bear.

Speaking of teddy bears, Pete's little plushie had been shoved into his pajama's pocket as he rushed to find the evil witch. "Maleficent!" He called, checking each hallway and corridor. He reached the end of the hall and turned.

there was a crash and a thud as Pete came face to face with Maleficent. She had heard the commotion from her personal chamber and came to see what the fool had messed up this time when he crashed into a statue and landed right at her feet.

"What is your problem this time you miserable oaf?" She sneered. It was then that she noticed his attire. Her eyes peeled back into slits. Was he actually sleeping instead of searching for the key bearer?!

Pete stood up and urged her to listen. "Maleficent! Ya gotta do somethin' there's intruders in the palace!"

Everything tumbled out of his mouth as he related his report to her. While she did listen she didn't seem convinced. She waited for him to finish before speaking up.

"A floating ship, the Black Pearl you say?"

Pete nodded.

"And you also say you heard a girly screech?"

Again Pete nodded.

"Fool!" She slammed the end of her staff down on the floor hard, causing an echo to carry down the hall. "I have no time for childish nightmares! The Black Pearl cannot fly and the only one I would expect to scream like a girl would be you!"

"But," Pete protested, "It wasn't a nightmare! It's real I tell ya! Just look out the south wall! It's there! It wasn't somethin' I would make up!"

As if on cue, Pete's plushie fell out of his pocket and landed on the ground with a tiny squeak.

Maleficent glanced at the toy before looking back at Pete while raising one eye brow. Her expression seemed to read: "Thus proving my point."

"Get out of my sight." She ordered. Her voice was low and it scared Pete more than her shouting. With his ears laid flat he backed up slowly before turning and running back down the hall from whence he came. The witch sighed in frustration before returning to her chambers for the night. It was never easy ruling over a kingdom full or complete idiots.

On the other end of the hall, Mulan, Jack and Aladdin had to suppress a fit of laughter. The scene was so comical they almost felt sorry for the big guy,...almost.

Once they were sure the coast was clear they made their way down the hall, following after the broomstick as it led them towards the cellars.

_~*~STL~*~_

The black motorcycle road along the blue light that resembled a road through the passage between worlds. The space around Cloud reminded him of a location in his own world. The forest of dead trees that emitted a white glow. That place had long since been destroyed, but the rider couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic.

There wasn't a heartless to be seen and the path ahead seemed harmless enough. He guessed the heartless were too busy taking over innocent worlds and trying to find the key bearer to worry about one lone rider. Realizing what that meant it told him that he wouldn't find Sora around here. He put in an extra boost of speed and kept traveling along the road that the bike itself had created.

What Cloud didn't see was a single black feather that floated from somewhere above and came to rest on the path.

_~*~STL~*~_

Riku sat in the corner of his cell, looking out of the only source of light he had. A small crack in the wall that revealed moonlight. It was the only reason he had been able to keep track of how long he had been held prisoner. On the wall next to him were several marks scratched into the stone. It had been two days since Sora had bene taken away and while he had hoped to be rescued as well, he knew that the chances of his escape were slim. He had no magic and no energy left to fight. On top of that the heartless were no longer sending food down to him. Food was a loose term for the slop he had been given, but it still kept him alive. Now without the key bearer as prisoner he wondered if he'd be forgotten and left to rot.

He was just thankful that his friend was free and had a chance to fight back. An image of the defeated Sora flashed in his mind. It was a sight Riku never thought he'd see. Sure he had seen Sora take some hits before, but the fighting spirit in his eyes was always there. As the heartless carried him away, Riku didn't see that light there anymore. He only prayed that Sora hadn't seen what he had the night where everything had gone so wrong.

Out of anger, Riku punched the wall next to him. Then suddenly a bright light forced him to shield his eyes. This was followed by darkness. Riku turned his gaze towards it and blinked in surprise. Could it really be a corridor of darkness? Had he summoned it? That was impossible, he had let go of all his dark powers when that device of Ansem's reverted him back to normal.

His mind's question were silenced when a hand reached out from the darkness, seeking his. "This way." Called a female voice. Riku recognized it and gladly accepted her hand. He stepped into the darkness and the corridor closed behind him.

* * *

**_lol, Poor Pete, he just can't catch a break can he? xD_**


	6. Pride

**_Well, here's chapter six written both sooner and longer than expected. I'm happy with both results. :) _**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Far away from the evil of the Forbidden Palace and even farther from the Base of the Resistance, in the middle of an open grassland two familiar figures appeared in a flash of white light...or, at least they resembled familiar figures.

Donald and Goofy looked around at their surroundings before noticing each other. Goofy had been somehow transformed into a land turtle who carried his shield on top of his rock-hard shell and Donald was now a type of bird who could fly and carried his mage's staff in his talons.

"We must be back in the Pride Lands." Goofy stated. Donald nodded in agreement before they really got a good look around. "It sure doesn't look like the Pride Lands. It's so green." The feathered mage replied.

"Do you think we arrived in the jungle?" Goofy asked.

A sudden rustling in the brush caused them to turn. The tall grass shuffled a bit before a shadow pounced out of the grass. They both noticed the shape of a feline, about the size of a cub. If they really were in the Pride Lands, there was only one 'cub' it could be.

With big smiles Goofy and Donald pounced at the cub before it had its chance, which surprised it.

"Sora!"

They both yelled at once knocking the cub to the ground. However, instead of hugging and laughing, the cub in question let out a sound liked was between a roar and a startled meow.

"Wh-what are you doing? You guys don't play right! I'm suppose to pounce you!"

The two looked down to see a lion cub whose fur was much lighter than Sora's was. There was no tuff of fur resembling the familiar spiky hair and the necklace was missing, but there was one other thing that made the difference complete. This lion cub was a girl.

Goofy and Donald backed up and let the little cub sit up. "Gawrsh, sorry about that, we thought you were someone else."

She didn't seem angry about it and she licked her paw and rubbed it over her face. "It's fine." She replied with a smile. "You say you thought I was someone else? Another cub?"

The two nodded their heads.

"That's great! Maybe I'm not the only cub around here after all!" She seemed to be very energetic and her cheerful attitude further reminded them of Sora.

"We shoulda known it'd be too easy finding him out here." Donald told his friend.

"Yeah, but at least we can check on Simba and see how he's doin'." Goofy replied.

"You know him?" The lion cub asked.

"Yeah, we're good friends." Donald replied.

"Well, why don't I take you to him? C'mon, this way!" She said darting off into the tall grass. Goofy and Donald followed behind her.

"My name's Kiara by the way." She called as she slowed to let them run alongside her.

"Name's Goofy and this is Donald." The turtle replied.

_~*~STL~*~_

Darkness...that's all there was. No light, no sound, nothing. He was drifting. It felt just like that last time. Just as the shadows began to close in around his heart there was a glimmer of light. It was warm and he wanted to reach for it.

"Sora!" called a female voice. One he knew.

"...Kairi?"

He looked towards the light and smiled. She was still there! But, so were the glowing yellow eyes. Before he could reach the light a large mouth opened up and chomped down on it, snuffing it out.

"Kairi!"

Sora woke with a jolt. His hand shot up and clutched his chest. With a relieved sigh he realized that he hadn't lost his heart. Now the only question was how? He knew that he had been outnumbered. He had no strength and no magic. How did he survive, and where was he now? This wasn't the Gummi Ship.

He looked up and saw the symbol of the ship. "Nuh-Nobodies? But how-?" He went silent as he heard a voice approaching from behind a closed door.

"Demyx do this, Demyx do that, Demyx go save the kid, Demyx go grab a spare jacket. Sheesh! If I had known I was going to be his personal servant I wouldn't have tagged along. Boy did he pick the wrong guy."

The door slid open and sure enough, there was Demyx. His eyes were closed as he shook his head in defeat before he looked up and blinked in surprise.

"Oh, so you're awake huh? 'Bout time. The boss was getting a bit worried."

Sora just continued to glare at the nobody.

"What?" Demyx asked before it clicked and he realized why. "Ohh~ Right. Hey, don't give me that look. If I was still mad about what happened in Hollow Bastion I would have let the heartless get ya. Don't worry, I don't hold a grudge. Xemnas was a jerk and deserved what he got."

Sora wasn't entirely convinced, but the nobody did have a point and he was willing to hear him out. "Okay, so why did you save me?"

Demyx shrugged. "Maybe I better let the boss answer that one. Here."

The nobody tossed Sora a black jacket. The very mark of a member of Organization XIII. The glare returned to Sora's face as he looked between the jacket and Demyx.

"I'm not a nobody."

"Oh would you relax already? It's just a change of clothes! We're not trying to bring Roxas back, though he may be more helpful at this point if you're just gonna go and get yourself killed by the heartless."

Demyx gave a frustrated sigh before heading out of the room. "Do whatever you want, but when you're done moping, the boss wants a word with you. You should at least thank him for saving your life, ...again!"

With that the nobody left, leaving Sora alone to his thoughts. He stared at the jacket for a moment before looking down at his own outfit. He was still wearing the same torn clothes that had suffered the beating from the Forbidden Palace. Any magic they contained had long since vanished. Sora picked up the jacket and looked it over.

Up on the bridge of the ship, the 'boss' concentrated of flying his way out of the Asteroid Field. It was slow going as he tried avoiding the large rocks and keeping out of sight from any passing heartless vessel.

He was alerted to the sliding door as Demyx entered. "Jeez, are you sure that's the same kid?"

"What do you mean?" The hooded man asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"I dunno," Demyx replied. "He's just not the same guy that we fought. He totally stomped me flat before, but now I could knock him down with hardly any effort."

"Something must have happened. Something that he hasn't gotten over yet. Give him time. If Roxas is still in there, he'll whip Sora back into shape sooner or later."

"Would you stop it!"

Both nobodies turned to see Sora near the door which had just closed. He stood there wearing the black jacket that Demyx had given him had only caught the tail end of their conversation. "I won't deny that Roxas is my nobody, but I'm Sora. I'm not anybody else."

The boss stood up and pointed a finger at him. "Then prove you're Sora."

"Prove it? Can't you see through that hood?" The teen retorted.

"Is that really how you're gonna thank me after saving you?"

"Who's to say I wanted to be saved?"

Demyx blinked as he shifted his gaze between the two, not sure exactly what to say. Finally the hooded man gave in with a sigh and lowered his hood, revealing the spiky red hair.

"Alright. Tell me what happened."

Sora blinked in shock. It was Axel!

_~*~STL~*~_

Kiara led Goofy and Donald through a flourishing landscape. The trees were healthy and strong, the grass was thick and tall and the river provided fresh, clean water for all of the animal life that seemed to fill the land.

"Wow, this place has changed a lot!" Donald commented as they neared Pride Rock.

"Really? It's always looked like this to me." the lion cub replied as she jumped from rock to rock. "Careful around here, snakes like to curl on the rocks up here during the day." She warned as she continued to hop from one rock to the next.

Donald flew a bit higher as a result and Goofy gulped before stepping more carefully.

After making it through the snake rocks they only had an open field to go. As Kiara made to jump into the grass another figure leaped out.

"Kiara! There you are!"

The lioness gasped and jumped back, bumping into Goofy.

"Princess! Where have you been?" Asked another voice as a warthog and meerkat stood before the trio.

"Timon! Pumba!" Donald called from above.

"Well if it isn't our pals from the old days. How's it goin'?" Asked the meerkat.

"You know them?" Kiara asked.

"Yeah, their good buddies of your dad's." Timon answered with a grin.

"Your dad?" Donald asked in surprise.

"I bet you're King Simba's daughter aren't ya?" Goofy asked with a grin.

"Yeah, but I don't really like being called a princess though." She replied.

"Hey! Where's Sora?" Pumba asked.

"We need to see Simba." Donald told them.

Over at Pride Rock the lion pride was enjoying the early noon sun. Their stomachs were full and everyone was finally happy. The new king was doing his job well. Simba looked down at his lands from his place at the edge of the cliff that jutted out from the mountain. From the vantage point it was easy for him to spot his daughter returning home with Timon and Pumba and,...two of his other friends! With a smile and a mighty leap he raced down the slope to greet them.

"Donald! Goofy!" He called in a friendly greeting. Looking at the group he noticed someone was missing. "Where's Sora?"

"He's uh...um..." Donald tried to find the best way to put it.

"He's on another mission." Goofy replied.

"Oh, well anyway, it's good to see you guys again. I see you've met my daughter."

"Hi daddy." She replied in response.

He nuzzled into her and let out what sounded like a gentle purr before looking back up at them. "What brings you guys all the way out here?"

"We were hoping you could help us." Goofy began.

_. . ._

"I see. So, Maleficent's back and she's trying to take over all of the worlds again." Simba summed it up.

"Yeah, and the worlds are teeming with heartless." Donald added.

"There haven't been any around here, but just to be safe,..." Simba turned toward a group of lionesses and roared to them. They roared in reply and four of them headed out.

"They're going to go scout the land for any strange creatures. In the meantime," He looked down at his daughter. "I want you to stay here until we know it's safe. Those creatures are dangerous."

The little cub let out a sigh before nodding. "Okay dad." Her ears perked up when she saw her mother, Nala in the distance and ran off to greet her.

Simba turned to Goofy and Donald once she was out of earshot. "I'll be ready when you're king needs me. Just tell him to use this."

Simba lowered his head and shook his mane. A necklace fell from his fur and Donald picked it up. It was his old summon charm, the one that Sora had used on his first adventure when they had first met.

"Thanks Simba." Said Donald.

"I'd go with you now, but with the heartless on the loose..." Simba started, drifting off as he looked at his mate and daughter playing.

"You don't want to leave your family unprotected, we understand." Goofy replied with a smile.

"Thanks, but make no mistake..." Simba stood tall, looking down on them with all of the grace and nobility of a true king. "When the time comes, I'll be there."

Goofy and Donald saw him glowing with power and pride and knew he spoke the truth.

"Thank you Simba. Until then, take care!" Donald replied as they knew it was time for them to leave. They waited until they had gotten a fair distance from Pride Rock before they pulled out the Star Shards that Master Yen Sid had given them before setting out. In a blinding flash they were gone.

_~*~STL~*~_

"Well, that explains a lot." Axel sat in the pilot's chair with his arms folded while Demyx just stared wide-eyed at the kid.

"Jeez! And I thought she was evil before. Man! What a hag!"

"So, what about you guys? I thought you were gone." Sora asked them.

A smile spread across Axel's features. "It's all thanks to you actually. At least the good part of the story. When you released Kingdom Hearts we not only got our bodies back, but our hearts as well."

"Yeah, we finally became real people again." Demyx interrupted, but fell silent again when Axel glared at him.

"So all of the nobodies got their hearts back?" Sora asked. Surprised how awesome that had worked out.

"Yep." Axel nodded. "That is until Maleficent came back and attacked with her heartless. Our hearts were taken from us again, but instead of giving into the darkness we became nobodies again. The two of us bumped into each other and figured it was better to travel together then get struck down by heartless or someone else who thought we might be up to no good again."

"What are you guys doing?" Sora couldn't help but ask.

"If you think we're trying to rejoin the Organization again then you're wrong. Xemnas is gone and I for one am happy. That punk got what he deserved for using us like that."

"I know!" Demyx chimed in. "Telling us we had no hearts or feelings. What a joke!"

"So, you're really not trying to turn me into a heartless to get Roxas back?"

Axel chuckled at the key bearer's question. "Oh please. Not that I don't miss Roxas, but if we wanted that-"

"You would have let the heartless get me." Sora finished.

"Exactly, got it memorized now?" He asked.

Demyx smirked over at the kid. "The jacket looks good on you."

"It's not permanent." Sora replied with a glare.

"But it will help keep the heartless off your tail. Ya see, Maleficent doesn't know we're still around. You'd be better off with us anyway. At least until your king and his army arrives."

"Until what?" Sora blinked.

"Dude where have you been? Under a rock?!" Demyx asked. "The king's been gathering an army for the past month now."

Sora looked down at the ground.

"You mean you didn't know?" Axel asked.

"No, I was stuck in the castle's dungeon the whole time."

"Well, yeah but, I didn't think you were completely in the dark about what was happening on the outside!" Axel was a bit surprised that Mickey's best fighter really had no idea. No wonder the kid thought everything was hopeless.

The ship suddenly lurched to the side as a missile struck it on its wing. Demyx looked on the screen. "Heartless! They found us!"

Axel smirked. "Buckle up kiddies, things are about to get squirrely." With that he sent the ship into a downward spiral to avoid another hit from the Heartless that seemed to surround them.

_~*~STL~*~_

Mulan and the others had done a pretty good job of sneaking around unseen. Thanks to Aladdin's skills and the Broom's knowledge of the way around the castle they arrived at the entrance to the cells fairly quickly.

"Thanks little fellow, we wouldn't have found it without your help!' Jack Skellington told the castle servant who saluted them and carried on its way.

"Okay guys, let's get Riku and get out of here." Aladdin said as Abu worked his magic and the locked had successfully been picked. The three made their way down, leaving the door open.

The broom made its way along from where it had come from, seeking out its companions and setting things right, but someone else was coming from the opposite direction.

Pete sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand as he pouted. "D'at mean ol' Maleficent. She never believes me. Why can't she see that I'm trying my hardest. Ain't that enough?"

He turned the corner and tripped over the broom. "Hey! Watch where yer goin'!" He looked on in surprise to see one of the brooms free. "How'd you get out?" Realization dawned on him when he noticed the direction the broom had come from. And he knew right then that he had been right all along.

Taking a look back, he thought about telling Maleficent. "But she'd only yell at me again...Ah who needs 'er! I'll catch those punks on my own and prove I'm not just some bumbling oaf!"

He looked down at the broom who appeared to be...laughing?! "Oh, a wise guy 'ey? Well laugh at this!"

_. . ._

The trio looked all around the cells and couldn't find a single soul. They did however find two cells sitting side by side. They peered into each one.

"Say, what are those marks on the wall?" Jack asked as curiosity got the better of him.

"That's how prisoners keep track of the days. They take a rock or something and scratch a mark into the wall." Aladdin replied.

"At least that one has light coming through. Look at this cell." Mulan called to them. They joined her and observed the darkness of the cell. It was almost too dark, unnatural even.

"There's dark magic in there." Jack stated.

"How can you tell?" Mulan asked.

"Master of Halloween remember?" He simply replied. "I know all about dark magic and items of terror and I can tell you something very bad happened in that cell."

"I wonder if that was the cell Maleficent held Sora in." Aladdin wondered.

"That would certainly explain his current state. I bet some of that evil is still haunting him." Jack answered.

A loud snap startled the group and as they made their way back to the staircase they saw a broken broom clatter down to the floor. It had been broken into several pieces and the three looked on in horror as they recognized it as the same broom that had helped them moments before.

Pete looked down at them and chuckled. "They just don't make 'em like they used to!"

His laughter was cut short as a fireball struck him in the face. Jack leaped over the fallen Pete as the other two followed close behind. Pete recovered and whistled. Several heartless appeared.

"Get Them!"

* * *

**_Seems our heroes are always getting into trouble. Isn't it about time they had some good luck?_**


	7. Eye of the Storm

_**You know the worst part about writing a story? Is when you can't find a quiet spot to write. All day I had tried to sit and write, but this house has been way to active today. I blame it on the warm weather. It's been cold and icky for so long that everyone's got a lot of energy with the nice few days we've had. **_

_**Disclaimer! I would love to say I owned Kingdom Hearts, but I don't. It along with all related characters belongs to Disney and Square Enix. **_

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Maleficent had been unable to rest now that Pete had pulled his foolish stunt. Now she simply sat in her throne, contemplating the demise of the king and that sorry excuse of a resistance. Pathetic rabble. It was only a matter of time before she learned of the location of their base. Once she knew where it was she would crush them all swiftly and painfully. And if the key bearer and the king hadn't been turned into a heartless first then they would be forced to watch as their friends fell one by one...then again, if Sora had become a heartless first then she would order him to be the one to finish them off. Yes, they would be wiped out by the very hero they had hoped would save them.

The more she thought about it, the bigger her evil grin grew. But it turned to a frown when she heard a familiar humming sound and the Cheshire Cat appeared.

"Greetings your evilness." He bowed.

Maleficent stared at the cat with an annoyed expression. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"Where have any of us been?" He replied in his usual riddle speech. But, for once he decided to throw her a bone. "Oh~ I've been around."

Maleficent tilted her head slightly. "And what have you to report."

The Cheshire Cat's large grin grew wider. "Many things." She listened in as he reported, but soon became annoyed when he spoke in riddles.

_"With mice that fly and children that hide, it's not easy to find what you seek. _

_Through space of stone, to unlock thy throne, the key has fallen deep. _

_Search for fire red atop of head and water of a musical party,_

_To find the key to thy victory who knows where, but nobody."_

With that the cat vanished without uttering another word, leaving the witch to figure out his riddles. Despite her vast knowledge and mastery of the dark arts Maleficent was not good at solving riddles.

A distant commotion told her she wouldn't get a chance to try solving this one anytime soon.

_~*~STL~*~_

A corridor of darkness opened up and Riku took one step forward out of the shadows. It was a strange sight that greeted him. He was on the deck of a ship. He looked around for the girl, but the portal closed behind him and the girl never emerged with him.

Riku knew he couldn't do anything about that now. His only option was to see where he was, then he could get a better understanding of his situa-...he stopped and closed his eyes as a gust of wind blew around him. It had been so long since he had felt the wind. It was a comforting feeling, knowing he was finally free.

A sudden clanking sound of glass pulled him back to the world around him. He snuck up along the side of the deck and listened in to the man who was moving about his cabin.

"Why is the rum always gone?" His words were slurred, as if he had consumed one too many. A glass bottle fell and shattered to the ground and the man spoke up again. "Oh, that's why."

Riku didn't know if this man was friend or foe and looked around for anything he could use in case he was the latter. It was then that he heard a small explosion coming from somewhere over the rail of the ship.

Hurrying over to the rail Riku realized where he was. He was at the docks near the Forbidden Palace! And there was something going on in the courtyard. Without worrying about the man drunk in his cabin, Riku hurried over and hoisted the anchor. Once the ship was free he began to steer it over towards the castle, secretly glad it could fly, even if it wasn't Captain Hook's pirate ship.

_. . ._

Jack, Mulan and Aladdin were now having an easy time getting out. Every new hall brought more heartless. Soon there was at least three score after them and not just simple shadows or soldiers. Several Gargoyles, and a few large bodies, some of which were breathing fire!

Without the broom to help them navigate they were trusting everything to luck and praying they wouldn't come upon a dead end. Mulan cut down two heartless as they rounded a corner while Jack focused on countering the oncoming fire with his own. The flames collided and burst on impact creating more explosions. The Pumpkin King used this to his advantage and timed it right so that the explosions would also take out some of their pursuers.

Aladdin took the lead with Abu running a little ways ahead, darting between heartless and scanning every new path for a way out. More heartless appeared from under their feet as they ran as if their very foot steps were summoning them.

"There's too many!" Aladdin shouted as he struck another soldier with his sword. Mulan was right behind him, pulling Abu to safety from the soldier who had appeared in the defeated one's place.

Their luck soon ran out when they came across the sight they had been dreading. A dead end. There was one glimmer of hope. The dead end had a window.

Mulan looked out the window and noticed a large vine with thorns digging into the structure. It looked strong enough for them to descend.

"Star climbing!" Jack told the others. "I'll hold them back!"

"We're not leaving without you!" Mulan replied.

The famous skeleton grin appeared on Jack's face. "I hope not. I'm just going to buy us some time to give you a head start! I'll be down in a jiffy!"

Jack turned and smiled at the heartless. "Besides, you can't kill a skeleton. I'm already dead!"

A fire began to swirl around the pumpkin king's arms. "And since I am dead..." he began laughing with a chattering cackle as the flames traveled along his arms to his hands as he raised them up in the air like the branches of a creepy old tree. "...I can take off my head!"

With that he pulled his head right off from his neck and channeled the flames around his skull and threw it at the heartless. His mouth opened and out came a powerful wall of fire that incinerated anything and everything it made contact with.

Aladdin and Mulan were halfway down the vine when a flaming pumpkin king jumped from the window and landed in the small fountain below. They sped up their efforts and rushed to the fountain once they were safely on the ground.

Jack emerged from the water and brushed off his shoulder.

"Are you alright!?" Mulan asked him, stunned by his actions.

"Never better!" Came his cheerful reply.

"Guys, we got company!" Aladdin pointed to the heartless that were pouring from the main doors with Pete urging them on.

_. . ._

In a very short time Jack, Mulan and Aladdin had been cornered in the castle's lawn. They could see the small gate from where they had entered from, but there was no way of getting to it now. Pete really knew which heartless to call this time. Four large bodies, seven gargoyles and various soldier and shadow heartless. The team was tired and had run out of potions. Even Jack had used the last of his magical abilities with that last attack.

"Hehe, just wait 'til Maleficent gets ahold of you three. Why, you'd be wishin' you had stayed in yer little hide away instead of coming back here." Pete told them. "You might as well save yourselves the trouble and tell me where the resistance base is now."

"And hand over our friends on a silver platter? No thanks!" Jack replied.

"Yeah! You must be pretty desperate to impress her after she caught you with a stuffed dolly." Aladdin taunted.

This made the group smirk and even earned a chuckle and some sneers from the surrounding heartless. Pete growled in response.

"That does it! I was gonna go easy on ya, but not after that! No way! Heartless!" He pointed at the three. "Take 'em out-huh?!"

He looked up at as a shadow had cast itself over the group from above. With his hand still pointing at the trio Pete looked up and saw the Black Pearl hovering above them.

"Way to go Sparrow!" Aladdin shouted.

"Guess it was a good idea he came along after all!" Mulan and Jack agreed.

A rope ladder unfurled itself as it came to a stop in front of Abu. The moment the monkey jumped onto the ladder Pete snapped out of his shock.

"Well don't just stand there! Don't let 'em get away!"

The heartless all attacked at once. The group couldn't climb the ropes and fight them off at the same time. Pete saw this and chuckled gleefully. His victory was only moments away and he'd have three new prisoners for Maleficent. She'd have to admit that she had been wrong about the intruders and finally give him the respect he deserved!

The sound of glass breaking shattered any hopes Pete had of a success. All around the area glass bottles were dropping like missiles on to the mass of heartless below. Defeating some on impact while stunning others. A large body who had been struck in the head fell backwards and crushed a gargoyle and two soldiers.

This gave the three the chance they needed. Once they were high enough and out of the firing range of the heartless the bottles stopped falling and the ship began to take off.

"Hang on!" The driver called down as the ship began its accent into the sky. The trio clung on tight to the ropes until the ship stabled itself. With a breath or relief they climbed up and onto the deck where they lay for a moment to rest.

"I'll have to apologize to Sparrow later. I sorely misjudged him." Jack admitted.

The others nodded in agreement when the cabin doors burst open and a wobbly Jack Sparrow stumbled over to the main mast. "Oyi! Who in name of thunder are you? Takin' a man's rum like that and chuckin' it overboard, and then commendeering 'is vessel while e's still aboard! How dare you sir!"

The group exchanged confused glances between each other. If it wasn't Sparrow who saved them then who?

"My apologies, Captain." Came the same voice from before. A teen with silver hair looked down at the group with a smile.

Mulan was the first to speak. "Is that...are you Riku?"

Aladdin looked over at Mulan. "But, how? The cell was empty! Don't tell me he wasn't even in there!"

Jack scratched his head. "And how did he end up on the ship?"

"I'm don't know how." Riku replied. "One minute I was in the cell and the next a corridor of darkness appeared and-"

A whistling sound cut Riku off as he saw a cannon ball coming at them fast. He turned wheel to avoid the hit. "Explanations will have to wait! Let's get out of here!" No one was going to argue with that. Even Sparrow focused on countering the blasts from the enemies with cannons aboard the Black Pearl.

Riku was trying to steer the ship away and leave, but as one of the cannon balls that Aladdin fired struck one of the castle's towers he got an idea.

"Guys!" He shouted as he turned the ship closer to the palace.

"What are you doing? We'll be in their line of fire if we sail in too close!" Mulan shouted towards the teen, but she stopped when she noticed the calm smile he wore.

"Aim for the castle! Try to make as much damage as you can. I'm only going to do this once!"

_. . ._

For the third time that night, Maleficent had been interrupted and it was working her last nerve. She vowed to herself that if it was Pete again she'd turn him into a bug just so she could squash him. She slowly made her way to look out the window when suddenly her eyes grew wide and she was forced to leap out of the way as a cannon came flying through the air and struck the wall where the window was. Bricks and other debris crumbled and fell where she had stood merely seconds ago.

The witch was almost beside herself with that she was seeing. The castle she had waited so long to obtain was being bombarded by cannon balls from...a flying pirate ship. She recognized the ship as the Black Pearl instantly and remembered when Pete had warned her that he had seen it. The very notion that he had been correct made her sick to her stomach, but that wasn't the worst of it. From her vantage point she could see some of the ship's crew. There was the Pumpkin King, the female warrior from the Land of Dragons, that street rat and his pet, Jack Sparrow and...!

Maleficent couldn't see his face, but that silver hair was unmistakable. How could he have escaped right under her nose? It was impossible! She looked down and saw Pete trying to order his heartless to get a better aim on the ship. their efforts were sad at best. One group of heartless took out another from across the lawn.

She was infuriated and made it clear by rasing her staff. A massive storm cloud appeared above the ship and lightning began striking down. Hitting both heartless and heroes alike. Pete had to dance just to avoid a few strikes before running away as Maleficent personally sent a few bolts his way.

Back on the ship the crew was getting pounded. "She can't take much more of this!" Sparrow shouted, pleading to leave before he lost his ship again, this time forever.

"He's right!" Mulan called. "We've already done more than enough!"

"Alright!" Riku replied. "Hang on!" He tried turning the ship away, but it was hard as the winds were working against him.

"Move!" Sparrow cried as he took control of the wheel and managed to get the ship moving in the right direction. Or at least it was to him.

The other four were knocked all over the place as they struggled to hang on.

"What are you doing?!" Aladdin shouted.

"He's gonna get us killed!" Jack skellington shouted.

"How can a skeleton die?" Sparrow asked as he calmly steered the ship.

"I don't want to find out anytime soon!" The master of fright replied as the ship began heading straight up.

Everything around them grew dark except for the flashes of lightning that struck dangerously close to them every few seconds. The group went silent as they clung onto the ship for dear life.

Finally after what seemed like forever the ship broke through the top layer of clouds and sailed into open air.

The group opened their eyes, wondering if it was really over. All they saw was open space ahead with not a heartless in sight.

"Did we do it?" Mulan asked.

"I think so." Riku replied.

"Aye!" Jack Sparrow replied as he proudly steered his ship. "The storm's far behind us and it's smooth sailin' for home!"

As the other three cheered and applauded each other and the questionable pirate Riku took a moment to fully grasp the idea...he was free.

* * *

**_Someone wanted to see Maleficent knocked off her high horse for once. Well, there ya go. ;) Of course, this isn't even close to being done. Who knows what the next chapter will bring? _**


	8. Repair and Refuel

_**Well I finally found some time to sit down and write this out. Not as long as the last two, but when you live in a house that's been pretty active and lively this past week it was the best I could do. I don't think I have it in me to pull another late night trying to write. Not two nights in a row anyway. ^^; Hope this chapter makes up for the wait and the next one probably won't be ready until at least after the weekend is over. Ah well. Enjoy! **_

_**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix.**_

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Sora felt sick to his stomach. The ship had been tossed in so many directions he was having trouble telling which way was up. Axel was trying to steer out of the Asteroid Field, but it wasn't easy. Heartless ships were everywhere! It took all of his piloting skills to keep from crashing into chunks of rock like Sora had with his Gummi Ship. Demyx grasped the arm rests of his seat tightly as he shouted each time a boulder came too close.

"Axel! If we live through this I'm gonna kill you!" He shouted with his eyes shut tight.

Sora felt the same as the water-weilding nobody and couldn't take it any longer. "Where's the weapons on this thing?" He shouted to Axel.

The red-headed nobody flipped a switch and a weapon's station rose up from an opening in the floor. Sora ran up to it and a hologram screen appeared showing the space surrounding the ship. Demyx glanced over to the kid as he prepared to fire. "I sure hope you have good aim."

Sora glared at the screen as a heartless ship came in sight. He fired twice. The first one missed, but the second one struck the enemy in the left wing causing it to crash into another that swooped in from below. Both ships exploded on impact.

"He's good." Axel said with a smirk. Demyx thought it was more luck than skill, but as long as they survived he really didn't care.

The ship got back on course and with the combined efforts of Axel and Sora the heartless numbers were shrinking. Demyx couldn't help but stare at the kid with amazement. He had seemed to glum earlier, but in battle he was determined and focused and,...was that a smile? A sudden jolt nearly sent Demyx falling from his chair as Sora almost lost his footing. A flashing red alert appeared on the screen as Axel grimaced. "It's a big one!"

Sora recovered and looked at the display. "It's a boss!"

The ship that had struck them was three times the size of their vessel which was already double the size of the Gummi Ship. It had four arms and two sets of wings that resembled that of a dragonfly. It also had a scorpion-like tail which contained a lightning globe at the tip...which it was charging up!

"It's gonna fire!" Sora shouted.

"Hang on!" Axel shouted back as he forced the ship to make a hard left turn. The creature unleashed it's attack, just barely missing the ship's right engine, however it struck the ship's tail. Axel's eyes almost ignited with rage. "That does it!" He pulled the ship into a U-turn and began flying right towards the heartless ship.

"Are you insane?! We'll be killed!" Demyx shouted with eyes open wide at his fellow nobody's recklace move.

"Play with fire and you get burned! Sora!" Axel called.

"Right!" The teen replied. They flew at the ship with Sora waiting for the right moment. Seconds seemed like hours as both heartless and vessel headed on a collision course. Finally Demyx couldn't take it any longer. "Just shoot the damn thing!"

"Now Sora!" Axel shouted.

"Roger!"

The ship tilted as it flew in close and unleashed a barrage of missiles and laser blasts. The heartless fired as well, but most of the attacks missed. One struck the ship's engine causing smoke to spew from behind and the air around it buzzed with sparks of electricity. The nobodies were damaged, but the heartless spiraled out of control until it slammed into an Asteroid and exploded.

"Yes!" Sora shouted. This time a smile was clearly visible on his face. Demyx looked over to Axel who nodded with a knowing smile. The smile vanished from Axel's face when a flashing red light filled the screen. "Just great, and I just had this thing fixed too."

Sora stepped away from the weapon's station which retracted back into the floor now that the heartless ships were no longer a threat. "What is it?" He asked.

"We took a pretty good hit, the engine's in rough shape. We'll have to land and make repairs."

Now that the battle was over Sora looked down at the floor, wondering if his friends were looking for him or if they even knew he was gone. Surely they had to have noticed the Gummi Ship missing by now. _"Oh crap. Donald's gonna kill me for crashing it."_ Sora thought as he bit his lower lip.

"Hey Sora, nice shootin' back there." Sora looked up to see Axel smirking at him.

Demyx came from behind him and wrapped an arm around the teen's shoulder in a brotherly fashion. "Yeah, you were really kickin' some major butt! Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Uh, w-well I..." Sora stuttered.

"Please, that kind of skill can't be taught. He was born with it." Axel answered.

Sora looked between the two nobodies who were smiling at him. He knew then that they were being honest about before. There was no hidden plan. They really were trying to help him. Putting his worries in the back of his mind, Sora returned their smiles with one of his own. "Thanks you guys."

Demyx gave Axel a thumbs up.

_~*~STL~*~_

"You can't stop me! I've got a bone to pick with him so get outta my way!"

"B-but Tifa, you can't just barge into his study and demand answers! It simply isn't done! Oh dear..."

The door to Yen Sid's study was knocked down at the black-haired fighter struck it with one solid kick. she entered the room flicking her hair. Yen Sid was sitting at his desk with a glowing map laid out in front of him. "Can I help you Miss Lockhart?"

She slapped her hands on the desk and leaned in over the desk. "Yeah! I wanna know why you sent Cloud out to look for him on his own! The guy's already having trouble getting involved with a group of people and this solo mission isn't going to help!"

Merlin tried to pull her back to have a more respectful attitude but a wave from Yen Sid silenced him and he stood back. The wave from his hand also fixed the door that was still laying on the floor. "I understand your anger and you are correct about Cloud, but I am confident that it will be easier getting Sora to return of his own free will if one person were to ask."

"So you send Cloud. I don't have to remind you who's still out there!"

"Cloud has battled with him before and won yes?" Yen Sid was concerned about the dangerous enemy, but it had been quite some time since his last appearance.

"Not without some nasty scars. That guy nearly killed him." Tifa replied. She clenched her fist as she looked down at her hand. "He told me about what happened up close during the fight. It was a rare moment. Cloud never usually tells me what happens during his fights, but the things that guy said. He wanted to know what Cloud cherished most, just so he could take it away."

"Hmm...I see." Yen Sid replied.

"It was right after he said that that Cloud had ended the battle with his final attack." Tifa finished.

"I'm guessing it will not be so easy to defeat him this time and as for his appearance in Hollow Bastion a few months ago...I believe he was searching for something." Yen Sid voiced his thoughts aloud, an open invitation for advice from the two other in the room.

"I wonder if he wanted Cloud to find him." Merlin voiced. "But, Cloud only came when he saw Sora fighting with him."

"No." Tifa told him. "Cloud was fighting with all of us against the heartless. Leon said they fought together and then he helped Sora after Goofy had been struck down."

"A-hyuck, I remember that. Boy did it hurt!"

Tifa and Merlin blinked and looked back toward the door.

"Goofy!" came another familiar voice. Yen Sid smiled. "Come in you two."

The door opened to reveal both Goofy and Donald. They looked down with ashamed expressions having being caught listening in. Yen Sid nodded for them to speak. Goofy obliged. "We visited three worlds so far. Simba says he's ready to lend a paw when the time comes and he'll keep an eye out for any signs of the heartless."

"Good." Yen Sid replied.

"But, the other two worlds refused to help. That old Queen of Hearts almost chopped off our heads and I won't even mention the other world." Donald replied.

Goofy tried to stifle a chuckle. Remembering the gorilla who almost dragged Donald off while Goofy tried to ask for Tarzan's help.

"I see..." Yen Sid nodded. "However, one is better than none and the king is making some progress I've noticed." The four gave him the same look and the master decided to show them what he had been looking at prior to Tifa's visit.

"This here is a map of a special part of the galaxy. One that has almost been forgotten and thankfully the heartless have never been spotted in this region before."

"Are you serious?!" Tifa asked in shock.

"Maybe we could evacuate everyone there if push comes to shove!" Goofy voiced.

"No way! We're not giving up our homes to the heartless or Maleficent! Not after what she's done!" Donald glared at his friend. Tifa nodded in agreement. "Donald's right. I'm not running away. Not when there's a chance we can still win."

Yen Sid only smiled calmly at them. "Mickey is not surveying the area for a new home. He's searching for new recruits. Warriors who are willing to fend off Maleficent's evil. What the king is searching for is a fresh army of fighters. Guardians, heroes, free spirits who go where ever the wind takes them. Adventurous explorers who won't accept defeat so easily. Those who think outside of the box and those who know how to bounce back. These are the defenders we need to win."

With this information the group looked on in awe at the map. There not many worlds on the map, but they were definitely one of a kind.

Goofy's face shifted from surprise to a look of determination. "Master Yen Sid, Sir. Donald and I are ready to head out and search for more help. The king's doing his part. It's only fair that we do ours."

Donald nodded in reply.

"Very well, you two may head out when ready...and if you happen to run in to Cloud on your mission, feel free to aid him if he needs it." Yen Sid waved to them as they bowed in respect and headed back down the stairs.

The old wizard turned back to Tifa as if to ask if that satisfied her. She nodded at him which gave him the answer he needed.

_~*~STL~*~_

The nobody ship arrived at its destination and hovered over the world in question. Sora became nervous when he recognized it. "Here? but, this is-"

"Where we're stopping for repairs." Axel finished. "The guy who fixed it up last time lives here and I don't trust anyone else to mess with it."

"B-but, people know me there. What if the resistance sees me?" Sora was really starting to panic. He wasn't ready to face his friends...not yet.

Demyx took the hood on the back of Sora's jacket and flung it over his head. "There, now your just another nobody. No one will know."

It did help Sora calm down, but he still didn't like the idea.

The ship landed in the world of Radiant Garden. In an empty lot with weeds popping out of the concrete. Demyx stepped out first with a stretch.

"Boy does it feel good to get off that ship for a while. Talk about cabin fever!"

Sora was a bit hesitant at the door until Axel shoved him out. "Come on, get movin'."

"Hey, I'm not some nobody you can pushed around." Sora glared.

"Sure you are, unless you want people to find out who you really are." Sora had to admit defeat. Axel had him there. "...Fine." He said with a deflated sigh.

"Just go grab something to eat and be back here when you're done. Who knows how long it's been since you last had a meal."

Sora blinked in thought. With a shocked look on his face he realized he hadn't eaten since his last meal of slop from Maleficent's prison! On cue his stomach growled as if saying: _"Yeah, ya knob! Did you forget how to eat? Feed me dang it!" _

With a nod to Axel he took off running. "Okay, I'll be back soon!" Sora called over his shoulder as he turned the corner and was gone. Axel watched him go and shook his head before heading into the garage. "Yo Sparky, you in here?"

A voice that was a bit higher than his replied in an irritated tone. "Don't call me Sparky!"

* * *

**_Okay, ten points to whoever can guess who the mechanic is. Normally I'd give you guys a hint, but then it'd be way too easy. ;3_**

**_Also, Axel's ship needs a name. I've tried to think of a good one, but nothing sounds right. Anyone got a good one I could use?  
_**


	9. Bounty Hunter

**_H-oh man these past few weeks were annoying. Writing this chapter wasn't the hard part. Trying to get my connection to work was a nightmare. I wanted to thank everyone for their amazing suggestions for the name of Axel's Ship. There were many that I really liked and thanks to you I found one that worked. Also, I apologize. I should have offered a clue for the mechanic. You all get ten points anyway. ;) _****_  
_**

**_Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belongs to Disney and Square Enix._**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Goofy and Donald had decided to grab something quick to eat before setting out again. Goofy was biting into a banana while Donald was chewing on a small loaf of bread. "Gee Donald, I wonder if Cloud's found Sora yet." Goofy wondered between bites.

"Who knows, but if he hasn't then we stick to him like glue." Donald replied with determination.

"But, what if we find Sora first?" Goofy asked.

"Then we drag him back here."

"Gawrsh, Donald. That sounds a bit harsh, don't ya think?"

"Not after he stole my ship it's not!" Donald replied. He was never very fond of Sora piloting the Gummi Ship, but for him to just take it and run didn't help matters.

As he continued to let his mind wander he didn't notice the shadow that appeared from overhead until Goofy pulled him back. "Donald! Look out!"

Something fell from the sky and landed where the duck had stood. A dust cloud was kicked up causing the two to cough. When the dust cleared Donald looked on in horror. "My ship!"

The Gummi Ship was in complete ruins. Donald fell to his knees and hugged the ship's hull. "Who could have done this to you?!" He wept.

"We found it like that on our way back." Came a female voice. Goofy looked up to see Mulan standing a few feet away as the Black Pearl anchored itself at the edge of the cliff.

Jack Skellington approached from behind her "Does anyone have a cure spell on hand?"

"Cure spell?" Donald had ceased his crying and looked over at the group who were making their way off the ship. Jack Sparrow walked past without saying a word, obviously still upset that his title as captain meant near to nothing to everyone else. Goofy and Donald saw that Aladdin was helping someone over to the group. Both took a collective gasp as they saw it was Riku.

"You got 'im!" Goofy shouted in joy before running up to help Aladdin get the teen inside. Donald ran ahead to alert everyone else.

About twenty minutes later Tifa closed the door to the room where Riku was now resting. She headed into the meeting hall where Mulan, Aladdin and the Pumpkin king were telling their heroic tale. Goofy listened to them in awe while Donald merely nodded with folded arms. Merlin was also listening in. "Oh my, it seems Maleficent has almost completely taken over the castle."

"Almost? but, I thought it was already hers." Goofy replied, scratching his head.

"Well, let's not forget the Cornerstone of Light. Its power may be weakened, but hopefully it's not completely gone. If a person with a strong light were to simply touch the stone, why then, the castle should force out any sort of darkness no matter how powerful."

Aladdin shook his head. "Trust me, it would take a pretty strong light to free that castle of darkness."

"What about the light of a keyblade?" Asked Jack.

"But, Sora said he wasn't going to use his Kayblade anymore." Mulan replied.

"Oh you worry to much." Jack retorted. "I bet he's out there using it right now."

"I hope you're right, Jack. Otherwise we're in some serious trouble." Merlin replied in a grave voice.

_~*~STL~*~_

Sora felt like he had traveled all over Radiant Garden and yet he still couldn't find a food stand. "What the heck is with this place?! I'm gonna starve if I don't eat soon!"

He decided that if he didn't find the food stand in two more blocks then he'd turn back. Thankfully he finally found the food stand. The building in question had its window open, showing the kitchen and the seating area was outside consisting of several picnic tables. There were a few costumers, but it didn't seem like anyone was in line. Sora happily ran up to the window.

He ordered what looked most familiar to him with a large cup of ice tea and sat down at one of the tables to enjoy. Sora soon found it was hard to eat with a large hood covering his face and was about to remove it when he heard a voice that almost made him choke on his bite.

"Yo! it's been ages! Where've you been?!"

It was Cid. Sora could recognize his voice anywhere.

"I've been busy." Replied a second voice. Sora breathed a sigh of relief. Cid wasn't talking to him. But then,...he realized he recognized the second voice too.

Turning his head ever-so-slightly he saw who Cid was talking to, though, the man had his back to him two tables away. But there was no mistaking the Blonde, spiky hair, the black outfit and...that sword!

Sora's eyes grew wide as he tried not to panic. Why was Cloud here?! There had to be a reason, he was suppose to be with the resistance. Was it a mission? Was he suppose to meet with Cid like a contact would for information? Sora tried to look casual by eating while he tried to listen in.

Cid shrugged with a huff. "What, ain't got no time for old friends anymore?"

"Actually, That's sorta why I'm here." The soldier replied.

"Huh? Sorry pal, I'm not followin'."

"Sora's gone missing."

Cid chuckled. "Boy, you're really out of the loop. He's bein' held up in that witch's new castle. The one that used to belong to King Mickey."

"No," Cloud replied. "We got him out of there..."

"No kiddin'!" Cid blinked in shock. "How'd ya manage to pull that off? Of course, I forget who I'm talkin' to." He folded his arms and stood more relaxed. "But, if Sora's free then why are ya lookin' for 'em? He take off with those friends'a his?"

"Something like that. Just let me know if you happen to see him." With that Cloud finished his drink and headed off, throwing the empty cup in the trash can as he turned the corner.

Sora waited for a moment before taking a deep breath of relief. That was way too close. Still, this was bad. Was Cloud going to track him down and force him to go back? Like...like some bounty hunter? True it was better than being hunted by heartless, but still. Sora ran for a reason. Cid snapped him out of his thoughts as he addressed him.

"Hey, ain't you one'a those Organization guys?"

Sora tried to mask his voice, without much luck. "I'm not here to cause trouble, if that's what you're wondering. I just want a bite to eat."

Cid huffed with attitude and strolled off, mumbling something as he went. Sora was just glad he managed to fool him. He finished his meal as quickly as he could before throwing the tray in the garbage and heading back the way he came. While he was keeping alert for any heartless he couldn't help but feel a bit cheerful. It sure felt good to have a full stomach again.

_~*~STL~*~_

When he got back to where the ship was he saw Demyx sitting outside with his hair standing on end and his close smoking. "What happened?" Asked Sora.

"That guy's completely nuts, that's what happened!" Replied the nobody as he coughed. Sora peeked over Demyx at the person still working on the ship.

Axel was standing next to him and getting onto the mechanic. "Megs, you know I won't pay you full price if you attack my team, no matter how annoying they are."

"Hey, I'm right here!" Demyx shouted in response.

The mechanic turned to look at Axel and for the first time Sora was able to glimpse him. Turning off the blow torch the man pulled off the steel mask and revealed that he was a rat. He had what looked like an electric plug for a hat and an outlet on the front and back of his yellow jump suit with blue straps and blue rubber boots. He adjusted his goggles as he glanced over at Axel. "Well then tell him to stay away from me. He nearly shorted me out!"

Sora looked up at the ship. "So, how's the progress coming along? Is it going to take much longer?"

That was the wrong thing to say. The rat got right in Sora's face and studied him with a beady eye, the other one closed to allow the other one a better focus. "Hmm, you look like a no good do-gooder. What's it to you? Ey? Got somewhere to be? Even I, the mighty Megavolt can't work that fast. It'll take at least another hour."

Sora looked back at the ship and then back at the rat. "An hour?!"

Megavolt shrugged. "I could push it to forty-five minutes, but I'd rather make sure the repair is worth the money Axel pays."

Sora was beside himself. The damage to the engine looked pretty bad and would have taken someone like Cid at least a day to fix, but this guy,...just who was he?

"Well, I'm off. If we got time to kill then I'm gonna see if I can find somethin' to eat." Axel said as he headed off back in the direction Sora had come from.

Demyx glanced down at Sora, noticing how fidgety the boy seemed. "What's the hurry? You didn't run into one of your pals did you?"

"Almost." Sora replied.

Demyx watched the kid head inside to observe the powerhouse rodent at work. The aquatic skilled nobody might not have been the smartest guy in the group, but it didn't take a genius to see that something really bad had happened to the kid and despite being his enemy once upon a time he couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. There had to be a way to cheer the kid up somehow.

_. . ._

Axel walked along the path as if he owned the place. He had no reason to fear his old stomping grounds. If anything he enjoyed it. Being back home after that mess with Xemnas there was only one thing to make the happy visit complete. Ice cream.

Knowing the way around town better than anyone it didn't take him long to find the old duck's ice cream shop. It wasn't as good as Twilight Town's, but it was good enough. Scrooge wasn't there, but he had trusted one of his nephews to manage it while he was away. The kid wasn't half bad, though he did talk about marbles and baseball more than anything. Axel envied the kid. All he had to worry about was school and getting his chores done. The world wouldn't fall apart if he didn't pick up his room.

As Axel took a bite an image of Roxas flashed through his mind. Axel stopped chewing at the thought. It happened every time he ate ice cream. Eating ice cream helped them bond as friends when they first met.

"I thought that was you."

A voice pulled him out of his memories as he turned around. Standing a few feet behind Axel was Cloud.

Axel couldn't hide a smirk. "Well look what the cat dragged in. Come to finish that battle we started a while back?"

Cloud's calm expression never changed. "Not interested."

"Oh? Then why stop and chat? If I remember right, you promised you wouldn't go easy on me next time." As Axel spoke his hands began to gather energy.

Cloud blinked slowly, he wasn't intimidated by someone he labeled as a hot head. "I'm looking for someone."

Axel's smirk widened into a grin as he finished his ice cream in one bite. "Well, looks like you found me first!" With that his flaming chakrams appeared in his hands as he lept at Cloud who easily dodged out of the way.

"I didn't come to fight you, but you're not giving me much of a choice."

"Wrong!" Axel shouted as he came at Cloud again. "I'm not giving you any choice at all! Got it memorized!" The soldier parried one of the chakrams with his sword and in the same move swung it under the nobody to force him to jump back.

Cloud glared at Axel as he gripped the handle of his sword. "Have it your way."

_. . ._

Demyx yawned as he stood up and stretched. "Boy I was so happy to get off the ship, now I just wanna get goin'." He looked back inside to find that Megavolt was just finishing up with the repairs and was just giving some of the other systems a few checks and touch ups. Sora was talking with him and they seemed to be getting along, which surprised the nobody. The only other person Megavolt seemed to have any kind of kinship with was Axel.

"Well, that guy was probably just doing his job. I'm sure it was nothing personal." Sora told the rodent.

"Not personal? Don't make me laugh. That guy's always trying to ruin my projects. And out of all colors, why purple? It doesn't go well with anything." Megavolt replied as he checked the oil pressure.

"Well,...it goes good with Black." Came Sora's reply.

Megavolt looked like he was about to argue the point, but he stopped as if remembering something from a bad dream. He quickly shook his head and concentrated on his work. "I suppose so. I guess it could be worse. The guy could be a tyrant if he wanted to and a scary one at that."

Sora nodded in agreement. "There's that and it's also a good thing he's not a heartless."

Megavolt seemed to spark as his mood changed instantly. "Heartless! Ou~ Don't get me started on heartless! Rotten no good rodents! Trapping me in this secondhand world! If I ever see another one I'll make them regret the day they ever messed with Megavolt!"

An explosion off in the distance surprised all three as tools and other equipment fell from shelves and rattled on the tables. After everything had settled Sora looked around. What was that?!"

"It came from somewhere in town." Came Demyx's reply. "Might have been that defense system of theirs acting up again." He didn't seem too worried about it, but Sora was.

He had seen the defense system in action before, both working properly and going haywire and he didn't ever remember flames or the smoke that was now rising in the distance from a few blocks over.

Without a second thought Sora took off running towards the smoke. "Hey! Where are you going?!" Demyx called to him, but Sora ignored him. Something deep inside was telling him to run and he felt the same fear as when Kairi had been hurt. "I'm not gonna lose another friend!"

* * *

_**I thought about posting the list of songs I've chosen that match this story. Sort of like a Soundtrack. Would you be interested in seeing what songs help this story tick? There's a decent number. My song list is somewhere in the 40's, but I could narrow it down a bit. If I do post the list of songs it'll be in a final author's note as a special feature after the end of the story. I might also post some story scenes that had to be cut out and rewritten, but I saved because they were good scenes, they just didn't fit with the storyline. **_


	10. That Day Revealed Part 1

_**You know the good thing about what happens when someone takes a break due to connection problems? When the person comes back they usually have more then one chapter to update. Such is the case here. I won't go into details, but what doesn't happen in this chapter will be revealed not long from now. That's a promise. **_

_**Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix. **_

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

When Sora got to the scene of the explosion he looked around for the source. A cough from a pile of broken wood caused Sora to turn around. "Axel!"

He ran over and started moving some of the boards away so the nobody could sit up. "Man, that hurt!" Came his reply.

Sora allowed himself a sigh of relief. "What happened?"

Axel looked around, noticing that his opponent had already left. "This town thought I was up to no good. That defence system of theirs is pretty tough."

"That's Tron for you." Sora replied.

"Who?"

"The town's best program for defense. Tron manages both the heartless defense system and Ansem's main computer. I guess he got a bit carried away this time."

Axel stood up and brushed himself off. "Well, next time it better know not to mistake me for some common heartless or I'll just have to teach it some manners."

He looked down at Sora who seemed to be looking around. The teen knew that an explosion like that would draw the attention of others, but he was relieved when no one showed up.

Axel realized that he was right. As much as he hated to admit, even to himself, he was right.

"So, how's the Flaring Comet?" Came Axel's question.

"The what?" Sora turned to blink at Axel.

"The name of my ship. The Flaring Comet. Got it memorized?" The nobody replied.

"Oh, uh Megavolt says the repairs are complete. He was just checking to make sure the other systems were working properly."

"Good, then we can finally get out of here."

Axel and Sora headed back towards the rat's garage. The walk back was a quiet one. Axel kept glancing over at Sora, trying to determine if what Cloud had told him was true. Yeah Sora seemed down on his luck when they first spotted him, but he had also seen Sora's famous fighting spirit return in the blink of an eye. Had the kid really given up? Was he simply just starting to get over the shock of what happened or was his current demeanor just his way of trying to survive? It was anyone's guess, but Axel hoped the kid would pull through.

When they got back to the garage Demyx was leaning against the ship, looking quite irritated. When he saw the two approaching he smiled with relief. "About time! Can we go now, please? This guy won't shut up!"

Megavolt threw a wrench at the aquatic nobody. "I told you not to interrupt! This is important and since Axel ain't here you'll have to remember!"

"Remember what?" Came Axel's annoyed reply.

"Oh!" Megavolt's mood changed again as he appeared around the corner and smiled. "I fixed an oil leak and some other minor issues, but there are a few systems that are a bit glitchy. A few gummi blocks should fix that problem easily enough. I just don't have any."

"That's alright. As long as it gets us from point A to point B safely, that's all that matters." Axel replied as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out some munny. It was more than he usually gave him, but the rodent did good work and he did more than asked most of the time.

Megavolt smiled as he pocketed his pay. Normally a villain, he felt pretty good doing honest work for once. Demyx approached his boss. "So, can we go now?"

"Yeah, we can go." Axel replied, annoyed by his friend's attitude.

Sora looked over at mechanic as the other two boarded the ship. "See ya around, Megavolt!." He called. The rodent turned and smiled. ""Sure, just ease up on the hero stuff. You can only go so far until it becomes annoying."

"That won't be a problem." Sora replied as he boarded the ship.

Axel waited until the others were buckled in before activating the engines. "Flaring Comet, ready for launch...ignition!" With that the ship shot straight up into the sky. As Sora sunk into his seat he realized where the ship got its name.

_~*~STL~*~_

Cloud watched the ship rise into the sky from where he stood at the bailey. When it vanished out of sight he returned his attention to a burn he had suffered on his right arm from his fight with Axel. It was a lucky shot. Even before becoming a nobody, Axel could never land a punch when the two brawled. Naturally, it was always Axel who would start the fight. Cloud only accepted the challenge just to shut him up.

As he looked down at his arm a gentle hand came from the side and lightly touched the wound.

"Here, let's get that taken care of."

Cloud didn't need to see her to know who it was. Her voice alone gave her away. "How'd you know I was here, Aerith?"

The woman in the pink dress with braided hair smiled as she replied. "Cid told me you were in the area."

Cloud remained silent, still not looking up at her.

"Come on." She urged taking his hand as she began walking back towards Merlin's house. After a short hesitation, Cloud allowed her to lead him.

Inside of the wizard's cottage Aerith had begun cleaning the burn to prevent any infection. The wound would have made most wince in pain, but Cloud was used to enduring his injuries. After taking a stab to the shoulder and enduring the stigma, a simple burn was nothing in comparison. Aerith knew that there was more she had to do than treat a physical wound. There was an emotional scar that she could see and something perhaps only she could mend.

"Cid told me you're looking for Sora." She started in her soft voice.

"Yeah. I don't know what's gotten into his head." He replied. "He just ran off."

Aerith nodded as she continued to clean the wound. "Would you like to tell me what happened from the beginning?"

It was a mystery. One few would ever understand, but the normally silent Cloud, who kept everything to himself, would only open up to her. He told her everything that had happened from the moment of Sora's rescue to when the teen ran off.

"I have a feeling Axel knows something, but he was reluctant to say anything." Cloud finished.

Aerith was just wrapping a bandage around his arm as he finished and voiced her opinion. "Maybe Sora's traveling with Axel. I remember the King mentioning that Axel used to be good friends with Sora's nobody."

"That still doesn't explain why he left in the first place." Cloud replied as he felt the medicine that Aerith had rubbed into the gauze begin to take effect.

"Perhaps something bad happened to him, something he's still fighting. From what you've told me, it sounds like he lost someone he cares for." She replied.

"How do you figure that?" Cloud asked.

"Because it reminds me of what happened to you. You haven't gotten over what happened to Zack. Sure, you've managed to tame those feelings by locking them deep within, but they still trouble you every now and then. That's partly why you keep yourself distant from others."

Cloud kept silent and kept his gaze focused on the floor.

"See, I'm right." Aerith replied knowingly.

She tied off the bandage and cut away the extra. That was Cloud's cue to leave.

"You know,..." she began and Cloud stopped before reaching the door. "When I first met Sora, he reminded me of a younger version of you. You could almost be brothers."

Cloud couldn't see her face with his back turned to her, but he knew she was smiling.

Her tone became a bit more serious as she spoke. "He needs someone to help him through this. Sora ran because he doesn't understand the pain and he's unconsciously trying to find a way to heal. What he needs is someone who understands what he's been through. Someone to guide him past the nightmares and the hopelessness. It shouldn't be hard. A personality like Sora's is too strong to give in without a fight. He just needs someone to show him the way."

Cloud waited for her to finish before opening the door. "...Okay." With that he left.

After Cloud disappeared around the corner to mount Fenrir and take off a shadowed figure vanished from a nearby rooftop, leaving only a single black feather behind.

_~*~STL~*~_

Despite being held prisoner in Maleficent's dungeon for the past few weeks, Riku had already begun to show signs of recovery, which surprised many of the resistance fighters. No longer confined to a bed he was sitting in the meeting hall, being questioned by several members of the war council.

"What's the castle's strongest defence?" Asked Phil. "If those three bums can get in there and get out then maybe there's a good chance to take 'er down!"

"Excuse me? I am not a bum." Mulan replied, sounding very offended.

"I wasn't referrin' to you. I was talkin' about That pirate." Phil replied.

"And what about us?" Aladdin asked.

"Yes, I recall pulling my own weight back there!" The Pumpkin King added.

"What weight? Yer nothin' but a bag'a bones for crying out loud!" Phil retorted.

"Gentlemen, please! all this arguing is getting us no where." Merlin interrupted before fists started flying. He gazed sternly between the three and only softened his expression once he was sure they had calmed down. Now, Riku, why don't you start from the beginning. How did this all happen?"

Riku took a moment to reflect on everyone in the room. It seemed almost the entire resistance was there. Except for Cloud and those stationed in Radiant Garden. Some, like Mulan and Beast he knew, but others were complete strangers to him. Merlin sensed this and nodded with a smile.

"It's alright, Riku. Every one of us is trust worthy. We all owe you and Sora a lot after all the help you've given in the past, but if we are to ever return the favor we need to know how Melficent managed to take the castle so easily."

"It wasn't easy." Riku replied.

"You fought her?" Beast asked.

Riku gave a humorless chuckle. "Yeah,...we fought."

* * *

_**...Four Weeks Ago...**_

Sora looked up at the front gates of Disney Castle in awe. "Whoa..."

"You act like you've never been here before." Riku replied with a smirk.

"I've just never seen the main entrance before, that's all. I arrived through the Gummi Ship's hanger." The key bearer replied.

"Looks like it's a new experience for all of us then." Kairi replied with a smile.

"C'mon!" Sora called with a smile of his own. "The king's expecting us! Can't throw a party without the guests of honor can he?" He took off through the gates as they opened with Riku and Kairi running close behind.

The day before Mickey had sent them a surprise letter each. Inviting them to an honorary celebration for their heroic deeds over the past two years. Sora didn't really feel like he needed a party to show off or have anyone praise him. But he did like the idea of seeing his friends, Goofy and Donald again. Spending time with the king and enjoying time with Riku and Kairi after being separated from them for so long was definitely something he was also looking forward to.

They had arrived a few hours earlier than expected. The trio certainly surprised the castle's residents. Goofy was caught snoozing in the garden and Donald was spending some time with Daisy, or at least trying to. She had been keeping herself very busy, and she was angry that Donald had been gone for so long and she was also angry because of the level of danger the mage had put himself in. Most of her anger was just a show. Secretly, she was grateful that he was home safe and sound, just like Sora had promised her. That was when she noticed the teen in question waving at them from outside of the window that faced the garden.

King Mickey was having breakfast with Queen Minnie when a knock at the door sounded.

"Come in." Mickey called.

Donald and Goofy entered, pushing the double doors all the way open before standing on either side of the doorway. "You're Majesties, Announcing the valiant key bearer and his noble friends. Sora, Riku and Kairi!"

As the three entered Donald and Goofy saluted them. "Jeez guys, why so formal? I'm nobody special." Sora replied with a sheepish grin.

"On the contrary," Mickey addressed him. "All three of you are truly amazing. You're worth more than your weight in gold. Why, the worlds would still be lost to darkness without you."

"Nah, I just did what anyone else would in my place." Sora replied. Riku rolled his eyes while Kairi giggled.

Mickey shook his head hopelessly. This complementary banter could well go on forever. Even after all that had happened Sora never changed. He was still modest and humble to a fault.

"Why don't we go see how the preparations are coming along? The party's not suppose to start for a few more hours. Why don't you head down to the kitchens and tell the cook what your favorite foods are so he can make them?"

They made their way down to the kitchens and followed Mickey through the swinging double doors. what they saw was a complete mess. The head chef, Louie was in a fit of rage as he slammed a butcher's knife down on the counter. "I will not allow rodents in my kitchen!" He shouted, revealing a thick french accent.

"Louie! What's gotten into you?!" Mickey shouted.

Chef Louie stopped in mid-swing and looked over at the door. Right away he tried to hide the knife. "Oh! Uh, your majesty, I was just...uh...slicing ze carrots and other vegetables."

"Sure you were." Riku flatly replied, rolling his eyes.

"Riku, don't be rude. It's not his fault he's having a bad day." Kairi replied, coming to the man's defense.

"Thank you kindly madam, but zis really was my fault. I'll have it cleaned up in no time...OUCH!"

He dropped the knife and shook his hand where something had bitten him. A grey furry creature darted across the counter top and climbed up on Sora's shoulder.

"A rat?" Sora asked.

The rat seemed to cringe at his comment until the boy looked back at the chef.

"Zat is ze reason for zis mess, your highness! I do not know how zat rodent got in here, but I'll be sure to take care of him."

The rat began to tremble in fear until Sora stopped the chef from going any farther. "But, that's not fair. The little guy probably only wanted something to eat. you can't get mad at someone for being hungry."

The rat's jaw dropped open. He never expected anyone to come to his defense. With a determined look he jumped down from Sora's shoulder and landed in the King's hand and began squeaking.

"You what?" The king asked. "Uhuh...uhuh...okay." The king looked back up at Sora. "What's your favorite soup?"

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"Just say it." Mickey replied with a smile.

With a shrug the first thing that came to Sora's mind was: "Tomato soup. Mom always made the best when I was sick."

The rat went to work right away. First washing his paws then he gathered the ingredients. It took a few minutes and after tossing in the seasonings and making sure it had everything just right he took a deep spoon and scooped up some from the pan and poured it into a small bowl and pointed for Sora to taste. He was a little hesitant at first, but soon picked up the bowl.

"You're not really going to eat it are you?" Riku asked. "It'll probably taste awful."

"Won't know until I try." The key bearer replied and took a small sip. Sora's eyes grew wide for a moment before he started drinking the bowl down until every last drop was gone. "That was amazing! It tasted just like Mom's!"

He looked down at the rat. "How'd you do that?" He asked.

The rat merely shrugged and smiled.

Chef Louie was mortified. Not only did a rodent cook in his kitchen, but it made something good?! He refused to believe it! Taking a small taste from what was still in the pan and not only did he discover it was good, but it made him cry in defeat. Louie hung up his chef's hat, and left a 'I quit' notice on the counter before leaving.

Kairi tasted the soup next and smiled as her eyes sparkled. "Oh wow! This is great!" The rat blushed at the comment.

Again, Riku rolled his eyes. "A rat that can cook, now that'll be the day. What's next? An elephant that can fly?"

"Um..." Before Sora could begin to say anything Kairi took a spoonful and shoved it in Riku's mouth. He tensed up for a moment before relaxing his shoulders.

"Well?" Kairi asked.

Riku swallowed before looking away from the group. "Okay, you win. It's good."

"Well then, that settles it. Remy here is our new head chef!" King Mickey declared.

After a brief moment of happy tears the rat put his game face on. with the help of the rest of the kitchen staff he was soon busy making all of the preparations for the party while also writing out a list of the honored guests favorite foods. Even Riku requested a few select items on the new menu. Chef Remy was soon busy cooking. It promised to be a very lovely banquet.

"Why don't we leave him to his work? He looks pretty focused." Mickey told the group as they exited out of the swinging doors and headed for the garden.

* * *

**_The scene between Chef Louie and Remy the Rat was one of those things that wrote itself. That scene in The Little Mermaid where Louie was chasing Sebastien all over the kitchen was one of the funniest scenes in the movie. Looks like we're finally getting a glimpse as to how this whole nightmare started, but remember this is just Riku's side of the story. ;)_**

**_The next chapter is half way done, so hopefully you won't have to wait too long.  
_**


	11. That Day Revealed Part 2

_**Three chapters in one weekend? That's got to be a record. Actually, the previous two were already written. However I did finish this one in under two days. I was completely in the zone yesterday. I wish I could have more good days like that. It was nice writing Sora as his old self again, however tat was the past. The present's about to get a whole lot darker before it gets lighter. This is only the beginning of the calm before the storm. Once again, everything may not be as it seems. Things are confused now, but all will become clear in time. I promise. ;)**_

_**Disclaimer! Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix.**_

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Kairi had volunteered them to help out with the decorations. A little help from Donald's magic and the garden had been transformed from a winding maze of sculpted hedges to an open area of tables and lamp posts for the celebration. Goofy had asked the king why they hadn't set it up in the Ball Room, but it was a nice summer's day and it promised to be a beautiful night. Mickey had a surprise set up once the sun had set.

Sora was tying up some streamers while Riku was helping Kairi unfold and place the table cloths. Queen Minnie came out with Daisy close behind. "Are you sure its alright to make our guests of honor set up for their own party?"

"It's alright, your majesty. We don't mind." Sora replied with a grin as he tied another blue streamer to a lamp-post.

"Yeah, we'd rather help out then walk around the castle and get in the way of others." Riku replied as he unfolded another cloth.

"Besides, we normally set up for the Destiny Islands Summer Festival all the time." Kairi added as she began placing the flower vases on the tables that had already been set up.

"I can certainly tell, everything looks wonderful. Thank you for doing such a fantastic job." The Queen replied.

About an hour later everything was set. The king and queen took in the sight with pure joy. "This is amazing fellas!" He praised. "I'm beginning to wonder if there's anything you can't do."

Riku smirked at the thought. "Well, Sora can't cook to save his life."

"At least I can ride a skateboard for longer then twenty seconds without falling off." Sora retorted.

"I can't sing." Kairi admitted.

"That's not true!" Both Riku and Sora said at the same time. "You've got a great voice Kairi. Remember that ballad you sang three summers back? The one about the sailor and the light house?" Sora asked.

"You remember that?" She replied.

"I'm not surprised, he was bawling his eyes out like a baby." Riku teased.

"Oh give me a break. You had tears in your eyes too, admit it!" Sora argued back.

"At least I can sing better than you can." Riku challenged, folding his arms with a smug grin.

Sora however, had something that would take away his friend's smirk. "Oh yeah? Well I stared in the Atlantica Musical with Ariel and King Triton said it was one of the best musicals he'd ever seen. So there!"

"Yeah, seen, not heard. Leave it to you to wow the crowd with some fancy keyblade tricks." Riku replied.

"That's it!" Sora tackled Riku and they both went tumbling across the lawn. The rest of the group shook their heads.

"Boys will be boys, I guess." Mickey replied.

"Oh my, do you think we should stop them?" Minnie asked.

"It's not gonna be easy. Those two look like they could go on like that for hours." Daisy replied.

"I got an idea." Kairi suggested. She walked a bit closer to where they were wrestling near the entrance to the Gummi Hanger. Cupping her hands to her mouth she called over to them. "Watch out! Heartless!"

In a flash both boys jumped up and held their weapons ready while standing back to back, prepared to take down the enemy as a team. They looked around for a moment before realizing they had been tricked.

"That wasn't funny Kairi." Riku replied, looking her way as Way To Dawn vanished.

"Neither is you two fighting like little kids. This is suppose to be a fun day. Stop turning it into another Riku verses Sora tournament!"

After that, everything settled down. About a half hour later some of the early guests began arriving. Most of them were from the nearby town outside of the castle's gates. Sora didn't recognize any of them. He wondered if he'd see anyone he did know until he remembered that unless they had a summon charm, no one from the other worlds could travel to another. Sealing the keyholes had ensured that and the new path ways that Sora had opened up were only accesible with a keyblade.

While he was honored that the king had thrown a party for him and his friends, he wished he could share his victory with those he fought alongside and befriended. Jack Skellington, Ariel, Mulan, Simba, Beast, Aladdin, Hercules, Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Stitch, Cloud, Tifa, Cid, Merlin, he could go on forever. It just didn't feel right to celebrate without them.

The guests were arriving in larger numbers now, but to Sora, it felt like the garden was still empty. He was half tempted to ask Donald to fly to each world and invite them one by one. That idea was shot when he saw his friend over by the drinks table. He was pouring a glass of ice tea for Daisy and talking with her. There was no way he was going to pull Donald away from her. It wasn't Donald he was afraid of, it was Daisy. For some reason he had a feeling her temper was worse than his feathered friend's.

Sora looked for Goofy next, but saw him talking to some of the guests. One was a heavy set feline reminded him of a younger Pete, but a polite, kind Pete (which Sora was convinced didn't exist), and the other was a spitting image of Goofy, with the exception of scruffy, messy hair. The key bearer glanced over at the king who was talking with Minnie, Riku, Kairi and two other guests.

Sora suddenly couldn't stand being in the garden and headed into the Gummi Ship's hanger. "Hey!" Riku called down as he followed behind his friend. "Where are you going? The party's back that way."

"Have you ever been surrounded by a large crowd, but feel totally alone?" Sora replied.

"What are you talking about? You're probably just bored. With the heartless and nobodies pretty much gone you feel like your lacking a sense of purpose, right? It's natural."

Sora was surprised by Riku's answer. He expected him to call him stupid or something, but he seemed to understand to a point. Sora took a chance and lowered his guard. He told him what was really on his mind. When he finished Riku folded his arms.

"I get it, but that's pretty much impossible with the World Order. There are some strict rules regarding those who can travel from world to world, but some lines can't be crossed."

"But, they did just as much fighting as we did. It doesn't seem fair that we get a party and they don't even get invited!" Sora argued.

Despite being on the opposite side of the argument, Riku agreed with him, but he knew if he admitted it then Sora would ask for his help to bring them here. An impossible feat to do in a single day. Aside from tracking everyone down and waiting for them to get prepared if they even accepted, some may not even believe them with talk of other worlds and...was that a...?

"Sora!" Riku glared at his friend who turned to look at him. Way To Dawn appeared in his hand as Riku lunged towards Sora. The key bearer reacted like a deer in headlights.

Riku rushed past him and struck a heartless shadow that had risen from the wall just behind his friend. Sora blinked in shock once he realized what had happened. "That wasn't...was it? It's impossible! The cornerstone should have stopped-"

A scream from upstairs cut him off and both boys rushed back to the garden. The sight before them left them frozen in place. The sky was dark, covered by thick purple clouds. Heartless were everywhere. The guests were running for their lives. Some escaped, others weren't so lucky. Donald and Goofy were trying to fight them off and clear a path for the guests to flee.

"Maxie! Get everyone out of here!" Goofy shouted.

"I will! You just be careful, Dad!" Replied his son as he called everyone over towards him.

"Daisy, you go with them!" Donald urged his sweetheart, but she refused to budge.

"But, the King and Queen. They've gone!" She replied frantically. Riku and Sora ran up to them. "Sora," Riku glanced over at his friend. "You go look for the king. You know your way around here better than I do."

"But what about you?" Sora asked.

"I'll help fight the heartless in the garden. We have to make sure everyone gets out safely."

With a nod, Sora ran off down the hall. He had a hunch as to where the King had gone. Minnie and Kairi had probably stuck with him, knowing that with a keyblade master, they were protected.

Riku saw Sora disappear through the small section of the large doors before he struck down two more heartless.

Instead of dwindling, the heartless were only growing in number and they were growing stronger as well. Now he was dealing with Soldiers and the odd large body. Gargoyles were popping up now as well as several fire-casting heartless.

Seeing that everyone was getting out safely thanks to Donald and Goofy, Riku hurried to catch up with Sora. He got to the large doors and entered just like how he saw Sora enter and was greeted by a massive ballroom filled with more heartless. Riku had no choice. With Way To Dawn he plowed his way through. It was slow going, but he finally made it to the other end of the hall. The platform where the thrones were positioned was moved to the side, revealing a hidden set of stairs. Riku had made it to the third step when he heard a pain-filled scream.

"Sora!" Riku darted down the steps only to come face to face with a horrific scene.

Queen Minnie was trapped in a green bubble that pulsed with green and black flames. Next to her was another identical bubble where Kairi was imprisoned and there was no sign of King Mickey.

Sora was down on one knee, leaning against his keyblade. Blood was dripping on the floor from a wound on his shoulder. Kairi was crying and banging against the bubble, Worry for her friend plain on her face.

Riku glared at the one who had caused all of this. With this level of chaos he expected Maleficent, but this man standing before him had a different kind of evil. It felt almost, worse than that of the witch. His voice was calm, smooth and made Riku's blood run cold.

"You can't help them. You're too weak. You only have yourself to blame."

"Don't listen, Sora!" Riku shouted, finally letting his presence known to the others. "Touch the cornerstone of light!" He urged. "dispel the darkness!"

The man slowly turned his head towards Riku. The man was smiling. Not very much, but enough for Riku to feel a chill crawl up his spine. In his other hand he raised a long sword. Never had Riku seen such a weapon. It could almost reach him where he stood at the entrance and the man was on the other side of the room! His long silver hair which nearly matched Riku's in color flowed easily as his single black wing stretched out for a moment before folding back neatly.

"This thing? It's nothing but a false crystal ball. Filling lies into those that cling to a fading light." He raised his sword and in one swift motion swiped his blade at the great stone. Nothing happened at first, but then a crack appeared and grew until the giant sphere split clean in two. As the pieces crashed to the floor Sora roared in anger and charged at the man. Riku also did the same, swearing that if Sora missed, he wouldn't.

The man wielded his sword with such mastery that both boys were no match for him. Riku was injured, but Sora was obviously taking the most damage. He tried once more, determined to save his friends and defeat this monster of darkness, but the man was done playing. One final strike with his sword ended the battle. Sora fell back and hit the floor hard, knocking the wind out of him.

The man approached Sora who glared at him with one eye, the other shut tight from the pain of his injuries. He pointed the sword at Sora's throat and smirked. "Tell me, what is it you cherish most?"

A mixture of terror and hatred filled Sora's eyes. He refused to answer.

"Leave him alone!" Came Kairi's voice.

The man turned towards the girl, still suspended in the bubble. "I see." The man calmly stated, the girl having given him the answer he needed.

"Touch my girlfriend and I"ll kill you!" Riku shouted. His response caught all three of them by surprise, well he couldn't tell with the bad guy, but his two friends seemed shocked enough.

"You attack her and it'll be the last thing you ever do!" Riku threatened again. It seemed to work, the man bought it. Riku knew that Kairi had chosen Sora, he knew this from the moment he found out her heart rested with him over a year ago. He wasn't bitter, it only made him want to protect them even more.

The man kept glaring at Riku and the teen prepared himself for a fight, but with a dark smile the man rose into the air and vanished. Riku didn't understand.

"R-Riku!" Sora shouted through gritted teeth. "Behind you!"

The warning came too late. He was struck with black and green flames and sent flying across the room. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Maleficent standing in the room, cackling with the feeling of ultimate victory.

* * *

When Riku had finished the entire room was speechless. Some were enraged, others heartbroken and the rest had been shocked to the core. It was Tifa who broke the silence.

"I knew it."

Eyes slowly drifted her way. "Knew what?" Merlin asked.

Tifa kept her gaze focused on the table. "I knew we hadn't seen the last of Sephiroth. For once I'm glad Cloud wasn't here."

"Why's that?" Phil asked.

"Because this table would be reduced to splinters. Cloud and Sephiroth have a history. What I don't understand is why Sephiroth would chose to attack Disney Castle and work alongside Maleficent? It doesn't seem like him."

"Perhaps he wasn't allied with her. Riku said he vanished just before Maleficent appeared."

"He wasn't working with her." Riku said. "Maleficent said so when she had us locked up. She laughed because she thought it was nice to know someone had done all of the hard work for her. Sora was no match for her in his injured state."

The group seemed to deflate. Any hopes they had of finding out a way to defeat Maleficent only opened up their eyes to the pain Sora had gone through, but Riku wasn't done.

"After Maleficent left I used my last potion on Sora. It didn't heal him completely, but it was enough to get him back on his feet. He got us out using the Keyblade and we headed off to find Kairi and the Queen. We didn't get very far. The castle had been completely overrun by heartless. We fought, but were recaptured."

Riku paused for a moment and clenched his fists. Mulan placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, you've told us enough. You should go and rest." Merlin told him.

"No, you need to hear this." Riku replied.

"Maleficent had locked us up in the basement which she had converted into a dungeon. She had come down there herself to make sure we were locked up properly, but I thought she had forgotten about the Keyblade's power. Sora easily got out again and came at her for a surprise attack, but Maleficent was hoping for him to do that. She quickly turned revealing she had another prisoner. It was too late for Sora to stop his attack and the prisoner was struck. She screamed in pain before Maleficent blasted her with a dark spell and she vanished into darkness."

Everyone knew who it was, but they hopelessly prayed they were wrong. It was Beast who finally asked for the truth. "It was Kairi, wasn't it."

Riku lowered his head, his hair shadowing his eyes as a tear landed on his hand. "...Yeah." He replied in a choked whisper.

"No wonder Sora vowed never to use the Kayblade again." Mulan commented.

"We should have known he had a reason for his actions." Came Beast's reply.

"We've got to find him and help him through this." Aladdin added.

"No."

Everyone looked over at Yen Sid. "Sora has all of the support he needs. Our task is to be ready."

"Ready for what?" Phil asked.

"Reclaiming what's rightfully ours."

* * *

_**Oh snap! Looks like things are about to get a lot worse before they get better.  
**_


	12. Pawns

_**Okay, it is a record. Four days, four chapters. It feels like this story is writing itself. It 'wants' to be told. Works for me. :) **_

_**Disclaimer! for the hundredth time. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix. Enjoy! **_

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Sora had finally made it past the heartless from the Second District and opened the doors leading to the Third. Everything seemed quiet. Now all he had to do was find where Leon went.

As Sora made his way down the stairs he looked carefully around. It seemed these creatures liked to pop up out of no where and without warning. As he made his way into the District's center he heard a commotion from above. Looking up, he quickly tried to get out of the way, but something heavy fell on top of him.

"The Key!"

Sora blinked, trying to snap out of his daze when walls rose up from the ground, blocking all exits. Then the heartless appeared. Sora realized that two others were trapped with him. They didn't seem like enemies, so he focused on the creatures. One of the flying heartless dived from behind and struck him in the back. Sora went down, but he didn't stay there.

"Cure!"

A soft green glow surrounded Sora for a moment before he stood back up, the pain was completely gone. He turned towards the duck and smiled. "Thanks!" The duck glanced back at him and smirked before rejoining his friend to fight. Sora pitched in and worked alongside them. He soon discovered that they made a pretty good team. His hunch was proven right when a twenty-foot heartless appeared and tried to stomp them flat with its giant feet. That fight wasn't easy, but with Goofy's shield, Donald's magic and Sora's keyblade the creature soon crumbled and a large crystallized heart rose into the sky before vanishing.

With the battle over Sora turned to his new allies. Explanations were made and it was soon clear that they had been looking for him.

"Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds in our vessel!" Goofy invited.

"Okay, I'll go with you guys!" Sora replied with a smile.

"Donald Duck!" The mage introduced himself.

"Name's Goofy."

"I'm Sora."

"All for one and one for all!" Goofy declared.

Sora smiled at his new friend's cheerful outlook. A sudden roar caused him to look up.

"No!" Sora cried.

A large black dragon with glowing yellow eyes was coming in fast. Sora tried to pull the others with him. "Run!"

But, they were rooted to the spot in fear. The dragon came in and with a blast of green flames engulfed the two. "No! Not them too!" Sora shouted, but it was too late. The dragon turned its gaze towards Sora. It opened its bright yellow mouth and let out a roar of triumph.

"Sora!"

Sora looked around, hoping it was Leon who called to him. Maybe there was still a chance to save Donald and Goofy.

"Sora!"

The key bearer looked around again, but he couldn't find the voice.

"YO! WAKE UP!"

"Ahh!" Sora hit the floor hard. He sat up and rubbed the side of his face. His eyes blinked open and he was back on the Flaring Comet. His mind felt foggy and he took a moment to determine what was dream and what was reality.

"Earth to Sora!" Demyx shouted from somewhere just behind him.

"Yeah, I'm awake." He replied in a grumpy tone.

"Just checkin'." The aquatic musician replied. He leaned his arms over the chair where the teen had fallen from. "That must've been some dream."

Sora looked up at him in surprise. "Why?"

"You know you talk in your sleep?" Demyx asked. "You kept saying, 'Not them too', and you looked like you were about to cry."

"It's nothing." Sora lied. "Just a bad dream I have every once in a while."

It was clear he wasn't going to say anything more on the subject and Demyx gave up with a shrug. Axel had kept silent, but he had been listening. Cloud was right. This kid was breaking apart piece by piece. Soon there might not be anything left of the old Sora or...

"Demyx. Take the controls." He ordered.

"What? You know I suck at flying." The nobody replied.

"Just do it. It won't be for long." With that he got up and let go of the steering. The ship lurched to the side and Demyx hurried to right the ship. Sora had stood up and dusted himself off, but was soon walking backwards as Axel past him and grabbed a hold of his hood.

"Hey!" Sora shouted, almost stumbling, but Axel refused to let go. He dragged Sora into a side room and shoved him inside before entering and closing the door.

Sora glanced around and noticed it was some sort of training room. There was burn marks on the wall and a pair of headphones on a nearby desk.

Axel glared at Sora as if he were an enemy. "I've tried to be patient, but that's about run out. Now, out with it. What is your problem?"

Sora glanced to the side. "None of your business."

Axel resisted the urge to throw a fireball at him. "Too bad, I'm making it my business. Besides, you owe me."

"Oh yeah?"

"You darn right! Not only did I use the last of my energy to help you beat the Organization, but then I swooped in and saved you when the heartless made your ship crash."

Sora kept his gaze directed to the side. "Maybe, I wanted that to happen."

"What?" Axel's anger gave way briefly to confusion.

"Maybe I wanted the heartless to get me."

"You...you want to become a heartless?" Axel really couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"What else am I good for? If my light is weak then maybe my darkness is stronger."

WHAM!

Sora was on the floor before he knew what hit him. Axel was standing over him with a fist raised. He was seething with anger as he picked Sora back up by the collar of his jacket.

"You really don't get it do you! You think you're the only one who's had a tough life? Living on that tropical paradise made you soft! there are others who've had it a lot rougher then you and they're still fighting! I refuse to let you hide in a corner with your tail between your legs!"

Sora rubbed his cheek, but kept his gaze at the ground.

"Fine." Axel sighed. If you really want to be a heartless then I'll grant your wish. At least then we'll get Roxas back and he'll go on usin' the keyblade."

"No!" Sora argued back. "I vowed never to use that thing again. That also goes for my nobody!"

"Why?" Axel demanded. "Why don't you want to use the best weapon you have? You probably wouldn't need any help at all if you just used it. I tried waiting for you to tell us on your own, but there's more people involved in this than I realized."

Sora blinked in confusion at this. He looked Axel in the eye and then noticed something. He had a gash on his cheek. It had scabbed over, but it was fresh.

"You weren't attacked by the town's defense system, were you." Sora replied.

Axel's eyes squinted slightly. "No, I wasn't."

Axel thought back to that battle with Cloud. It wasn't a very long battle. In fact, it lasted about a minute and thirty-five seconds. The soldier kept his word about not going easy. Yet, he was also unusually chatty during the fight.

* * *

_"So, who're you lookin' for if you didn't want to fight me?" Axel asked as he threw his chakram, always keeping one in his grasp should Cloud decide to close in for an attack._

_"Sora." He replied, easily deflecting the weapon. _

_Axel smirked as he caught the weapon and threw the other one, giving it an extra spin. "Man, what is it with you people? He's a big boy now, he can take care of himself."_

_"As usual, you don't have a clue." Cloud replied. "The kid's become a danger to himself." He jumped out of the way to dodge the attack._

_"Since when did you start caring about others?"Axel asked as he tried for a close range attack. _

_Both chakram and blade clashed and pushed against the other. It was now a standoff. _

_"Like I said, you don't have a clue." _

_Axel smirked. "N'aww you do have a soft side. How cute."_

_Cloud pulled back suddenly, causing Axel to stumble. The soldier then closed in and slashed for Axel's throat. The nobody avoided a lethal blow, but took a hit to the cheek. He also managed to strike Cloud in the arm with his flames. _

_Cloud grunted slightly from the blast. The flame was a bit stronger than he had expected. Axel came at him again, but Cloud was ready. Taking the blunt end of his blade he side-stepped Axel and struck him in his side, sending him flying into a stack of wooden crates. _

_Cloud approached the broken wood where Axel tried to sit up, but that last blow had knocked the wind out of him. "The darkness is taking him. If that happens everything will be lost."_

_Axel tried again to sit up, but blacked out. When regained consciousness, Sora was there helping him out. He seemed like his normal self, but maybe Axel had been wrong._

* * *

Axel glared at Sora. "Why are you running from your friends? And I want the truth!" He set Sora down and folded his arms, making sure he was between the teen and the door.

Sora glared at Axel before he looked down at the palm of his hands. "Because,...I'm a danger to them."

"Don't give me that. you'd give your left arm to save your pals. Admit it, you're afraid! Afraid of facing that witch." Axel shouted.

"No, I'm not afraid of Maleficent." Sora replied.

"Then what is it?"

"I...hurt someone. They depended on me to save them and not only did I let them down, but I..."

Axel sighed. "Look, we can't always get there in time to save the day. No one's that perfect."

"You don't get it." Sora mumbled.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Axel asked, revealing that he had good ears. "I'm not stupid."

Sora walked over to the desk and sat down on the chair. Axel shook his head in defeat. "Guess he was right. The darkness is taking you." With that he turned to leave, but stopped in the doorway. "The real question is, are you going to let it?"

He waited a moment longer until it was clear Sora wasn't going to reply and then he left the kid alone with his thoughts.

Back on the bridge, Demyx was a nervous wreck. He had managed to keep the ship steady, but he really had to be careful. "How the heck does he make it look so easy? Boy did he pick the wrong guy for this."

"Quit your whining, I'm back." Axel replied as the door slid closed behind him. He walked over and took the controls from Demyx who happily gave Axel his seat back.

"How's Sora?" Demyx asked.

"Hopeless." Axel quickly replied.

The musical nocturne decided not to ask further.

. . .

Back in the room Sora was resting his head on the desk. His mind was wandering. Thinking back to the simple life he once had on Destiny Islands. Just an ordinary kid. Spending each day doing normal kid stuff. Sparring with Wakka, racing against Riku, fishing, climbing, laying on the beach doing absolutely nothing, Kairi constantly getting onto him for being lazy. . .

He halted his train of thought. What right did he have to think about his friendship of her? After the horrible thing he had done to her. It was all his fault. He should have been stronger, he should have seen that Maleficent was up to something. She wasn't stupid, but he was. He fell for her scheme and Kairi paid the price.

Why did the others have to save him? He should have resisted. Why didn't they let Maleficent end his suffering? Now he was doing nothing but making everything worse and causing more problems. They were true friends, but he wasn't. He had let them down. Why? Why did the Keyblade chose him? There had to be a reason. He refused to believe it was for this.

His fist clenched tightly at the thought. So tightly his hand was shaking. He suddenly stood up and slammed his fists onto the desk.

"It's Not Fair!" He shouted.

_"Life rarely is." _

Sora spun and looked around the room. That voice. He had heard it before, but where?

"Hello? Who's there?" He asked. He tried to remember, it sounded female.

The room remained empty and silent. Sora shook his head and turned to sit back down.

"Ahh!" Sora jumped back as the Cheshire Cat was laying curled up on the desk, grinning up at him with his tail swishing back and forth.

"Oh, I'm sorry," He purred. "Did you still want to be alone?"

Sora glared down at the cat. "What do you want? and this time I really do mean '_you_'." He added, remembering the last time he asked that question.

The cat giggled as he replied. "I was curious to see how you were faring. The game has really begun to get interesting. All of the pieces are lining up nicely."

Sora's mouth dropped open. "You, think this is a game?! People are suffering!"

The Cheshire Cat giggled once again. "Don't you know? War _is_ a game. Think of it as a large chess board. The leader is the king, the reason why they fight is the queen, the guards are the knights, the ace fighters are the castles the skillful planners are the rooks and everyone else is a pawn."

Sora was getting more frustrated by the minute.

"So," The cat asked. "Tell me Sora,..."

"Tell you what?" He asked.

"Which of your friends are the pawns?"

"What?!" Sora's anger was rising to a boil.

"You know, the throw away pieces that no one cares about. the ones who always get sacrificed. Could it be the soldier? No, he seems more like a knight. Perhaps it's Riku. Wait, he's better suited for a rook. The mage and the guardian are more like your castles. Hmm,...who would make the perfect pawn? Oh! Maybe it's a piece you've already thrown away? That girl. Kairi was her name? She'd be the perfect pawn."

"**GET OUT!**" Sora shouted at the top of his lungs. "Don't you **ever** call my friends pawns or throw-aways. I'd never treat them that way!"

The cat still grinned, but it seemed to change. Shifted somehow from goofy to satisfied. "Glad to hear it, but you sure have a funny way of showing you care. A king who runs in chess will get cornered by the enemy sooner or later and if the king is captured, well then, I'm afraid it's checkmate."

With that the cat disappeared. Sora suddenly felt so exhausted. Getting angry like that always took a lot out of him. But that anger wasn't without a purpose. It woke him up. He realized that he did care. He cared about his friends. Why else would he defend them like that? That's when he realized. Axel had done the same thing he just did. His anger was to get Sora to wake up. Now he was awake. Wide awake.

He didn't know how he was going to win without the keyblade, but he promised himself he would try. With a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves he opened the door and headed off to find the others.

* * *

**_Just whose side is that cat on?! Boy was this chapter an emotional roller coaster. but every character's gotta have their breaking point right? Though, who can say if his suffering is over. there are still quite a few mysteries floating around between the worlds. _**


	13. New Roads

_**Writing is a tricky thing. Sometimes it's soo easy, other times it's harder than a jaw breaker. Having a bad migraine can also play an annoying role, but a good writer never gives in. She keeps going - heading straight into the eye of the storm only to blow a razz-berry in its face, saying: Nyah-nyah! Okay, maybe not that much, but you get the picture. That's how the previous week has been for me. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, All characters and locations belong to Disney and Square Enix.**_

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

A few hours had passed since Riku revealed the fall of Disney Castle. In that time the members of the resistance were left to take the news as best they knew how.

Riku had refused to go back and rest even though he kept stumbling every few steps. It took Master Yen Sid to finally convince the boy to rest, though he wasn't happy about it.

Once she was sure he was asleep, Tifa headed off to find two others that she thought might need a hand.

Right after the meeting ended Donald and Goofy headed to the Garage. Something Yen Sid had created for the resistance fighter's vehicles. Goofy wanted to talk to Donald about what they had heard, but neither one of them wanted to break the tension-filled silence. It was just too painful.

Tifa found them as the duck was trying to busy himself with the Gummi Ship's repairs.

"How bad is the damage?"

"Not as bad as we first thought," replied Goofy as he handed Donald another tool.

"Not as bad? Not as bad?!" came Donald's reply as he slid out from underneath. "It's a train wreck! When I get my hands on Sora, I'll . . . " He continued to mumble, but his temper had made it impossible for the others to understand what he was saying.

"I just wish he'd come back," Goofy turned to Tifa, trying to hold back tears.

The story had bothered her too, but she tried her best to look optimistic in front of the others, especially these two. Despite his actions, Donald was just as heart-broken as Goofy was.

"He will," She smiled. "Cloud's not the type to give up. He'll being him back, even if he has to drag him back kicking and screaming."

Goofy tried to picture that image and let out a small chuckle. Donald however just folded his arms.

"Why won't Master Yen Sid let us look for him?"

"Because I have a different mission for you."

All three turned to see the master standing in the open doorway. He strode in while Donald stood up from the creeper and Goofy came to attention.

"Sir," Tifa started, "why don't you let them search for him? They know where he would go more than the rest of us. Wouldn't they have better luck? I don't think one person alone can find him so easily."

Yen Sid raised an eye brow at her. "So, you have lost your faith in Cloud?"

"No!" She quickly replied, "it's just that after what we heard, I'm worried about whats going through Sora's mind. I've seen what grief and self blame can do to a person, and I'm afraid something bad's going to happen to him. Even if Cloud finds him, will he really be the same?"

Yen Sid studied the expressions on each of their faces. Tifa had voiced what Donald and Goofy feared and he could see that they wanted to be there for him. Still, Yen Sid trusted what his visitor had said.

"One person is more than enough to bring Sora home. Considering who that person is, you should all have more faith. You can also rest assured that Sora will keep his promise, just as he always has."

"What promise?" Donald interrupted.

"The promise he made to Kairi," The master replied. "Right now, he is merely injured. Injuries take time to heal, but given enough time they will be no more than old scars barely worth mentioning."

The two still had their doubts, but they nodded. Tifa understood what the master was getting at, even if she didn't like it.

"So," Goofy asked, "What's our mission?"

"You are to head out and find the king. I imagine he may need some help out there. That corner of the galaxy may have a few worlds, but things are more dangerous over there then you may think."

"Even without the heartless?"Donald asked.

The master nodded. Raising his hand the Gummi Ship began to rise into the air. It was engulfed in a light blue orb before lowering back down. The light faded revealing the ship, completely restored.

Goofy admired the feat in awe while Donald wondered why he hadn't done that sooner.

Tifa smiled at the two. "Good luck."

With a nod from Goofy the two climbed into the ship and made ready to launch. Yen Sid stepped outside of the garage and with a powerful spell, opened a special gateway. One that connected to the far off reaches of the galaxy.

The Gummi Ship rose up before gliding out of the garage and vanished through the portal. A bright light flashed and the portal was gone.

"Think they'll be okay?" Tifa asked after the wind died down.

"They'll be fine, it's the rest of us that I'm worried about," he replied.

"We need something to cheer everyone up. A project we can all work on. Maybe we should start training, but Riku's still in no shape for that." While Tifa tried to come up with an idea, Yen Sid already had a solution.

_~*~STL~*~_

Cloud had planned to leave Radiant Garden and continue his search on another world, but something still bothered him. During the fight with Axel he was surprised the town's defense system hadn't kicked in to investigate what the commotion was. It made him wonder if the system was malfunctioning. So he decided to stop by Ansem's computer and check things over.

He normally wouldn't bother with it, but He'd never hear the end of it if Yuffie or Leon found out he was in the area and did nothing about it either. It was going out of his way, but it saved him a load of aggravation in the long run.

As he made his way through the maze-like halls and corridors he was surprised that there were no heartless, despite the place still looking like a crumbling dump. Entering through the door leading to Ansem's study it appeared the same as it did before. Everything was still scattered. Cloud began to wonder if this was just a waste of time. That's when he heard voices coming from the computer room.

"Sorry, I can't seem to find anything in the memory banks," Tron admitted.

"Still? Shoot. I thought rebooting the system might help, but if there really is nothing then, I don't know where to go from here." Leon was not having a good day.

"Still having trouble with computers I see."

Leon looked over to see Cloud standing in the entrance.

"Like you could do any better," Leon scoffed.

His snobbish attitude was just for show. Cloud replied with a small smirk.

"You're hopeless."

Leaning against the wall Cloud watched Leon resume his search. Tron tried to assist on his end, but both their efforts turned up nothing.

"I give up. If it was in here, it was erased long ago," Leon hung his head in defeat.

"What's got you so worked up?"

Leon looked over at Cloud, surprised he had taken an interest, but wondered if maybe he was looking for the same thing. Doubtful, but with Cloud you could never tell.

"When the MCP made the entire system go haywire, we found three ways to shut him down. One was manually by destroying the mainframe. That was a last resort, the second one was the method Sora used. He fought the MCP head on and won."

"And the third?" Cloud was getting impatient.

"The third was a back door where someone from the outside could get in using a special virus." Leon looked at the screen once more before finally throwing in the towel. "That virus is missing."

"I don't get what the problem is. The MCP is gone." Cloud neither understood nor cared too much about computers to worry about things like viruses or hackers. Let someone else be the techno wiz, he preferred using a sword to get things done.

"I may have found something," came Tron's voice.

"Go ahead," Leon replied.

"It seems that while Sora and I were fighting the MCP someone logged in from a different source and downloaded the virus before deleting the original."

"But, that's impossible. The virus was still in the system after Sora left. I checked it myself."

"I know Leon, my readings confirm the same. However, it apparently was set on a timer and when Hallow Bastion was restored to Radiant Garden that's when the virus was erased."

Leon suddenly wished there was a chair for him to collapse in. "This is not good."

"What's the worst thing that could happen?" Cloud asked, not really concerned, but not entirely heartless about it either.

"If that virus falls into the wrong hands, anyone could hack into this mainframe and do anything they want. Reprogram it to their own liking or worse, destroy the system entirely," Tron replied.

"But who all knows about this computer?" Leon thought aloud as he leaned against the computer's keyboard.

"Think Maleficent's got something to do with it?" Cloud asked.

"Maybe, but I doubt it. She's too busy worrying about taking over the other worlds. She wouldn't bother with a world that still rebuilding," Leon replied.

That's when he realized something. "Why are you here anyway? Computers aren't your usual M.O."

"I doubt you'd know anything. You've been too busy with the computer, you didn't even notice the defense system was down," replied the soldier.

"It what?!"

"I warned you that might happen," Tron told Leon.

"There aren't any heartless around are there?" Leon asked the computer.

Tron did a quick scan. "Nope. No heartless spotted currently in Radiant Garden or during the restart. However, there was one reported nobody."

Tron brought up the footage from the security system. It showed the battle between Axel and Cloud.

"You certainly like to break things," Leon commented, glancing over at Cloud who kept his eyes closed. He wasn't interested in seeing himself in action.

"Well I'll be. I thought those two were enemies."

Leon's comment caught Cloud's attention. A few minutes after the soldier had left the battle, there, helping Axel out of the rubble was Sora.

"I'm glad to know the rescue plan worked, but why is he with-?" Leon looked around the room, but Cloud was already gone.

"Some things never change." Leon shook his head and went back to work.

. . .

Cloud mounted Fenrir which he had parked just outside. He already had a hunch that Axel knew where Sora was, but he didn't realize that the kid was traveling with him. That nobody Cloud had spotted at the outside diner had clued the soldier in that the Organization was around, but he never expected that outcome.

"Clever move."

Fenrir started up and the glowing blue path formed outward and upward, leading away from Radiant Garden.

_~*~STL~*~_

Aided by Mulan, Riku made it to the main meeting hall where everyone had gathered.

Phil waited for the kid to sit down before starting. "Alright, we're all here, what'd ya want?"

Tifa pulled out a large white board and some colored markers. "We are the Resistance against Maleficent. If we want to make it official, we need an official name. Something that's catchy, but it's got to reflect what we represent. Now, we're going to abbreviate the words so it's also gotta be something that forms a word that makes sense. Something that will really blow our enemies out of the water."

"How about the good guys?" Riku suggested sarcastically. He was finally getting some quality sleep and being woken up like he had put him in a bad mood.

Tifa shook her head with a smile. "Come on guys, we're all smart. We can think of something good."

"How about Justice Force?" Aladdin suggested.

Tifa wrote it down. "Not bad, anyone else?"

"Fangs of Light," declared the Beast.

Soon the ideas started flowing in.

"Swords of Honor"

"Worlds Against Witches"

"Dispellers of Darkness"

"Champions of Hope"

Tifa was starting to run out of room. "These are great, but they don't really form a word that we could use to represent the whole thing."

"Well, why don't we start with the word first?" Suggested the Pumpkin King.

"Okay," Tifa replied, "any ideas for a word?"

"Sora."

Everyone turned to looked at Jack Sparrow. He quickly looked behind him before realizing they were focused on him.

"What?" he asked before realizing he probably said something stupid. "I know, go back to the galley and do somethin' useful. I'm off."

"Wait," Tifa called.

Jack stopped in his tracks. "Aye?"

"What made you suggest Sora?"

The pirate turned around, feeling a little defensive. "Well, the lad was the reason we all came together wasn't it? To liberate him from his dark and lonely purgatory?"

The others turned towards Tifa and she saw the same realization on their faces that she herself felt. He was exactly right.

"Alright, Sora it is. Now, what words for each letter?"

* * *

_**You know how much it bugged me for them not to have a better name then just "The Resistance"? A whole lot. It's about time it got a decent name. Fortunately I have one. ^^**_

_**EDIT: I almost forgot to thank ElectroNerd. The setting for the scene with Cloud, Leon and Tron was her idea. Thank you. :)**_


	14. The Deal

_**I apologize for the wait. I hit a road block in the story and had to re-write this chapter because a character I wanted to use wasn't going to work out. Plus there were a few details I was juggling around to see which idea I liked best. This chapter was originally a lot longer, but I had to shorten it because it had too much talking. **_

_**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix. **_

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

Pete was treading through the palace with the utmost caution. He was trying to avoid Maleifecent at any cost. Ever since Riku's escape she had been on a warpath. The worst part was that it was Pete's fault, but he couldn't bring himself to understand how. He tried to warn her. He tried to stop them. If she hadn't lost her temper and trusted him then they might have recaptured the kid plus added four more prisoners.

They could have interrogated them and found out the base of the resistance. After that it'd be easy to wipe them out. But she had to go and attack him right when he was about to send in a squad of sky pirate heartless and take the ship.

"Oh, this is dumb!" He shouted as he stood out from around the corner.

"Why am I sneakin' around? This is my castle now too!"

A heartless came around the corner and by force of habit, Pete ducked into a doorway. When he realized it wasn't the witch he let out a deep sigh of relief.

"What are you doing here?" Came a demanding voice.

Pete turned white as a sheet. Standing behind him was Maleficent.

"Er-well, that is, I, ya see, I was just,-"

"Enough!"

Her staff slammed down onto the stone floor, its sharp echo carried down through the halls.

"You've already ruined whatever small chance you had at becoming my second in command. There is only way to restore my faith in you."

"Let me guess, go out and find the keyblade runt," he grumbled.

"I'm relieved your not completely brainless," she replied with mock concern. "Go! And don't you dare return without Sora, I want him alive."

"Y-yes ma'am!" With that Pete opened a corridor of darkness and dashed through it, not daring to look back. The portal closed behind him.

Maleficent raised a hand to the side of her head to gently rub her temple. "Why must I be surrounded by incompetent fools?"

"I could lend my assistance, _if_ you ask nicely."

Maleficent turned to see who had spoken. When she recognized who it was she tried very hard not to roll her eyes in disgust.

_~*~STL~*~_

Demyx had tried keeping himself busy, but it was hard. Axel had kept silent for the past hour. No matter what Demyx tried, he would not look away from the screen - only replying to him once, threatening to break his saiter which the younger nobody had tried to play to ease the tension.

The door to the cockpit slid open as Sora slowly made his way inside.

Demyx glanced his way before glancing back towards the pilot's seat which didn't budge.

Sora looked over at Demyx, the expression on his face asking if Axel was in a listening mood.

Demyx simply shook his head. Not a good sign. Still, Sora had to try.

"A-Axel?"

"Destiny Islands will be coming up soon. We'll drop you off there," replied Axel, coldly.

"What?!" Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was taking him home? But he couldn't go back yet. Not without Riku or, . . . -not until this battle was settled.

"I'm not going."

Axel huffed. "What good are you if you refuse to fight?"

"I didn't say I refused to fight. I'm just not going to use the keyblade."

Demyx looked at Sora and smiled. "I think he's serious this time, Ax."

Silence filled the room. After what seemed like forever, Sora let out a defeated sigh and turned to leave.

"On one condition."

Sora stopped and turned back around. "What?"

Axel turned and pointed an accusing finger at the teen. "If you even think about giving up or running away I'll turn you into a heartless myself. Deal?"

Sora smiled. "Deal."

"Okay then, where do we head to now? We can't go back to Hollow Bastion," Demyx voiced.

"Radiant Garden." Sora and Axel corrected him in unison.

"Alright, alright, Radiant Garden. Sheesh. My point is, there aren't a lot of safe places for us to go."

"We could go to Twilight Town and stay at a hotel," Sora suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Demyx added.

Axel allowed himself a smirk. "Alright then, Twilight Town it is."

The Flaring Comet turned and headed in the opposite direction and away from Destiny Islands which had just come into view. Sora took one last look at it. Vowing he would never return until this nightmare was over.

_~*~STL~*~_

Maleficent sat down on her newly decorated throne. Hades was standing on the top step in front of her. The large empty ballroom filled with dark energy.

"You make an interesting case. Offering to destroy the resistance and retrieve Sora? Tell me, what's in it for you?"

"Let's just say I've got a score to settle with the little hero," he replied. His flaming blue hair threatening to turn red at the memory of the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of the key bearer.

Maleficent studied him. She had witnessed his failures several times and wasn't sure if she could rely on him anymore.

"Wait a moment."

Hades folded his arms. "What?"

Maleficent stood from the throne and approached the lord of the dead. She knew his offers always came with a catch.

"What is your price?

Hades gave a low chuckle. "Okay, you got me. There's one smug little punk who joined the ranks of the resistance and let's just say, he still has a contract with me."

Maleficent raised an interested eye brow at this. "That's all? One rebel as your prisoner?" She walked over to the side to look into a mirror. She waved her hand in front of it and revealed the events that unfolded during Sora's rescue.

"Which rebel are you seeking?"

Hades walked over and watched the mirror. He was a bit impressed with Jack Skellington's fire powers, but he wasn't the one who broke the contract.

"That's the chump, right there!"

He pointed to the fighter. Maleficent couldn't hide an evil chuckle. "Very well. That rebel shall be yours. As long as you promise that he will suffer."

A dark smile crawled up the villain's face, revealing his jagged teeth. "Don't you worry yourself about that. The Underworld has plenty of tortures, some I haven't even tried yet and he'll be the perfect guinea pig to test 'em."

With that Hades turned to leave to begin his search. Maleficent watched him go, she still had her doubts, but she also wanted to see Hades' chosen victim suffer. Should Hades fail in his mission she would personally see to it that he suffered in the fighter's place.

As Hades walked past a room with the door opened just a crack. A scared and defeated captive looked up from her prison. She had caught a glimpse of the villain and he scared her. She had heard everything, but was unable to do anything to help.

Looking out the window she scanned the night sky wondering where her beloved was in that vast universe. "Oh Mickey, where are you?"

She pulled out something she had held on to for weeks now. It was the only thing that gave her hope, she only wished that its owner would be able to help her once again. She kept the item close to her heart.

_~*~STL~*~_

A short time later The Flaring comet touched down in the wooded area just outside of the mansion. Demyx looked at it through the ship's window. "Boy, that place has sure seen better days. Who lived there?"

Sora shrugged. "The inside's pretty run down as well. Ansem the Wise used it as base when he was trying to restore my memories. It's also where I woke up. I don't really remember much before that."

Demyx reflected on that for a moment before turning over towards Axel. "Wait, wasn't that when the whole Castle Oblivion thing went down?!"

"It's a long story," Axel replied. "Let's just say the Organization failed and move on. There's no point dwelling on the past."

Sora felt a pang of anger overcome him for a moment. It was as if some hidden voice was shouting a harsh objection. Sora understood the feeling of hurt and translated it to the fiery nobody.

"I won't let her memory fade. She was real."

Axel turned to look at Sora. Surprise plain on his face, until he realized what was going on. It wasn't Sora who had said this, it was Roxas.

"Sorry, Roxas. You know I didn't mean it that way about her. I meant the reason as a whole. She was just a tragic victim of Xemnas' schemes."

The anger seemed to dissipate at this comment and Sora took a slow, deep breath. "That was weird."

Axel smiled. "Well, it's nice to know he really is in there somewhere."

Demyx looked back and forth between the two. "Did I miss something here?"

_**. . .**_

The two nobodies followed Sora as he traveled through the busy town. It was a bit more active than usual which surprised the teen. He assumed with the heartless population on the rise everyone would be avoiding going out in public. Axel and Demyx told Sora there were a few things they needed to get and that they would meet up at the clock tower in a few hours.

Sora made sure to steer clear of the ice cream shop. Knowing that Hayner and the gang would probably be heading there for some Sea Salt ice cream. Instead he headed over to one of the other venders.

"Good day young man, what can I do for you?" asked the shop keeper.

"I'm looking for a weapon," Sora began, "Not too big or small and easy to use against a large crowd of enemies."

"My my, it sounds as if you're going off to war, the way you talk."

"Well, not really, I've just had a couple of bad run ins with heartless."

The shop keeper adjusted his glasses as he got up and examined his stock. "What kind of weapon did you have in mind? I've got a spiked mace that was taken from a Gargoyle Warrior and I also have a Dragoon's Lance in my possession."

"A normal sword would be fine," replied Sora.

The shop keeper chuckled. "You won't find any normal weapons here, my friend. I only sell special weapons. Ones that come from heartless monsters or creatures without hearts. I also take pride in selling weapons with added abilities."

Sora looked at his munny bag. He only had 600 munny on him, courtesy of Demyx. "What do you have for 600?"

"Hmm, let me see."

The shop keeper went farther back into the shop and looked over at the swords he had collected over the years. He scanned through them until he found three that he thought might interest his customer.

"Try one of these." He laid them out on the counter for Sora to examine.

Sora picked up the first one. The hilt was a bit awkward and didn't have the right balance. He tried the second one. The blade was a bit too heavy to wield easily. If he ended up in a tight spot it might slow him down. The last one however, was flawless. The hilt felt as if it was made for him and the blade was a perfect balance.

Sora swung the weapon to test it. The blade hummed in the air, singing a song of doom to anyone who got in its path. Sora looked down at the price and saw it was 800 munny.

"This one is perfect, but I only have 600."

"Don't worry about it. You seem like a good kid and if heartless are around, you will need a blade you can count on."

"Thanks!" Sora gave him the munny and started to walk away when the shop keeper called to him. "Wait, do you even know what that sword's ability is?"

Sora walked back over and listened to the man. "That blade has a special name, because it has two abilities. One power is easy to summon. The power of wind. Good for getting you out of a tight spot, however it has a second ability that not every can use."

"Yeah?"

"Yes indeed. At first I wanted to call the sword Hikari Kaze, but that only confused my costumers. So I put it in the back until I could come up with a better name. When I first saw you boy, you seemed a bit down. However, when you picked up that sword I saw a sparkle in your eyes. And a new name came to me just like that. I'm naming it Phoenix."

"Phoenix?" Sora repeated as he looked at the sword.

"Yes, it's a mystical bird of fire that is reborn from its own ashes. An eternal being that will always rises from defeat. I have a feeling this sword will no doubt help you rise from your own defeats."

Sora held back a chuckle. If only this guy knew what he had gone through. Still, this sword was a perfect replacement for the keyblade. In a way, it didn't feel any different. Sure it couldn't unlock doors, but at least he wouldn't have to resort solely to magic when cornered by heartless again.

"Thanks, I 'll remember that," replied Sora as he headed off.

"Good bye," the man called out to him, "and good luck."

He turned when he felt someone's presence behind him. "How did I do?"

"You did great, thank you," replied the hidden speaker as they tossed a small bag on the desk. "Here's the rest of the payment." With that they vanished into a corridor of darkness.

The shop keeper opened the bag and pulled out 200 munny.

* * *

_**I promise there will be more action coming soon. Sora's got his new sword so you can be sure he won't just carry it around for show. Also, I want to know what you think about the new cover. I've had it for a while, but couldn't decided if I liked it better then the original cover. Tell me what you think of it in the comment section. I don't mind either way. I like both covers and can change it back if this new one isn't that great.  
**_

_**Oh, and that stranger coming from the corridor of darkness? It's Kairi. **_

_**. **_

_**. **_

_**.**_

_**APRIL FOOL'S! xD  
**_


	15. Racing across Space and Against Time

_**I guess these updates come in two's and three's. But, there's some action in this chapter, just like I promised. I forgot how much fun it was writing a battle scene, not to mention easy. I must make a note to add more battle scenes, then again there will be plenty throughout the story from here on out, so no worries there. ^^**_

_**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix.**_

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

Cloud was on his way to Agrabah next. He had heard from Aladdin that it was a good place for someone to hide who didn't want to be found. It seemed like the next best place to look. The glowing blue road had gone undetected by the heartless so far. Proving that Cid could do something right every once in a while.

As usual the area he was traveling through was peaceful and quite. Considering he was traveling through space it wasn't surprising. Despite the urgency of his mission, Cloud was feeling oddly relaxed. With how frantic everything was back at Yen Sid's place, it was a relief to be out in the open and away from everyone.

Looking up at the endless sky above him, he didn't noticed the heartless until they were right on top of him. A soldier heartless jumped and landed on top of Fenrir, preparing to unleash its claws on Cloud. What the creature failed to notice was the sword coming down on it before it was too late.

The hidden compartments on either side of the motorcycle opened up and Cloud had already taken two of the swords and combined them. He also wielded the smallest of the swords separately. The soldier heartless were dropping like flies before his swords. Cloud thought that the fact that they were called 'soldiers' was a joke. the only thing they had going for them was their numbers. For every heartless he struck down three more took its place. Cloud looked at the road ahead and noticed the heartless were trying to attack the road itself.

Revving up Fenrir, he tore past where the heartless had weakened the structure. It did little good. More heartless appeared further down and started attacking a new section. The soldiers had been scraping at its glowing surface with such determination that it was beginning to crack like glass.

Cloud pushed Fenrir as fast as it would go. At a top speed of 250 mph it didn't take him long to reach the heartless. Unfortunately right as he was about to pass over it a Large Body came crashing from above and body-slammed the path. The road shattered like glass. Cloud skidded the bike - trying to stop, but it was going too fast and the soldier fell into the abyss of open space.

_~*~STL~*~_

It surprised Donald how quickly the Gummi Ship had arrived in the distant galaxy, but he doubted getting back would be as easy. It never was.

"Start looking for the king's ship on the scanners."

Goofy nodded as he began scanning the radar for anything that resembled a ship close to theirs. This definitely was a strange region of space. None of the worlds looked the same as the others and yet there was something familiar about it to him. Like running into an old forgotten friend at the grocery store.

They didn't say it out loud, but Donald felt the same. There was a strong connection here. Like a twenty year old forgotten memory. Something even time itself had forgotten.

"I've got something!" Goofy's shout brought Donald back to reality.

"Give me the coordinates," the duck replied.

When they got there, sure enough it was another Gummi Ship. But something was wrong, the ship seemed damaged.

Aiding on the side of caution, Donald connected the two ships together by hovering above the other ship and attaching the connection arm, which was basically a tube with a ladder.

"I'll go first, you follow."

Making his way over to the connection tube, Donald readied himself for anything. Best case scenario, they would find the King, worse case, . . .Donald didn't even want to think about it.

When Donald reached the bottom he took a deep breath to gather his thoughts and calm his nerves.

"One . . .two . . .three!" The hatch opened and Donald jumped in, his staff held at the ready. Goofy watched from the top of the latter, ready to jump in if needed.

After a minute of silence he began to worry. "What do you see, Donald?"

The duck looked around the cockpit some more. "It's empty!" He shouted back. "Come on down here."

The knight carefully made his way into the second ship and held up his shield, just as wary as Donald.

"Gawrsh, this place sure is spooky."

"Let's check the engine room." Donald made his way towards the ladder leading to the lower level. There was one thing Donald noticed that made him nervous. This ship was way too similar to his own, giving further evidence that it was the king's. Goofy followed.

Once in the larger room it was clear that something was wrong with the engines. The sounds they were making reminded Donald of an old car engine that was running on its last legs. The whining and the high-pitch sound of broken gears told him it was a miracle the engines were running at all.

"I don't like this," the mage voiced aloud.

Goofy was in full agreement. He kept peering over his shoulder, expecting something to jump out at them at any moment.

"Whak!"

Donald's surprised shout caused Goofy to jump three feet into the air.

"You're majesty!"

Donald was rushing to the king's side. The mouse in question was lying on his stomach, face down. Out cold.

Donald gently turned him over and sighed with relief. The king was still breathing.

"Gawrsh, is he okay?"

"I don't know," replied Donald.

Goofy looked around the room. There was evidence of a fight.

"Somethin' bad happened here."

A sudden beeping caught his attention. Looking for its source, Goofy approached the ship's power source. He found a strange device with a timer. It took him a moment to realize what it was.

"Donald!"

The mage looked up and his eyes grew wide. The timer was counting down!

_'2:37 . . .2:36 . . .2:35 . . .'_

The two went into action. Carrying the king gently between them they made their way back to the entrance hatch.

Two minutes had passed by the time they had gotten back aboard their own ship. Donald made a mad dash for the controls.

Disconnecting the arm, Donald kicked the engines into high gear.

The Gummi ship raced away from the doomed vessel. fifteen seconds later a bright blue flash lit up the space behind the gummi ship. Donald's eyes grew wide as he quickly diverted all power to the shields.

"Brace yourself, Goofy!"

Goofy was more concerned for the king as he kept him stable on the pue-like seat towards the rear.

The blast caught up with them quickly and rocked the ship a bit, but thanks to Donald's quick thinking with the shields, the ship was a bit shaken up, but otherwise unscathed.

Donald let out a relieved sigh as he got up and headed back to check on the king.

Goofy looked up at his friend. "Looks like Master Yen Sid was right to send us when he did."

Donald agreed. Had they left a few minutes later, . . .he didn't even want to think about it.

"I wonder what coulda happened?" Goofy voiced his thought aloud.

"Someone wanted the king out of the way," Donald replied. "We better keep our eyes peeled."

_~*~STL~*~_

Sora felt a bit awkward carrying the new sword around. The problem wasn't the blade. Sora had been in such a hurry that he forgot to ask if it came with a sheath. He never had to worry about it with the keyblade, but unlike his destined weapon, this sword didn't vanish when he no longer needed it.

For the moment he tried carrying it through the crowd of busy shoppers, trying not to seem intimidating with the sword being carried at the ready in his hand.

Demyx was just headed out of a music shop, or rather he was kicked out by the shop's owner.

"And don't come back!"

Demyx rubbed the back of his head in pain from where he laid on the ground before shouting a few choice words in response. "Don't worry, I won't!" Was the only clean sentence that came from his mouth. "Man, I knew I was spending too much time around Xigbar. Not my fault though. Stupid Siax and his assignments," he grumbled as he stood up and brushed himself off.

"What was that all about?" Came Sora's voice from behind the blonde nobody.

Demyx turned and whistled at the new weapon the kid was sporting. "Whoa, Nice blade!"

Sora smirked as he glanced down at his new sword. "So, where's Axel?" he asked looking around.

"He headed over to the clock tower already. I was just trying to get some new sheet music for my saiter, but that lamo shop keeper inside started bashin' on the saiter, saying he hated that instrument and refused to sell anything for it. Hmph, close-minded jerk."

Sora shook his head with a smile. "C'mon, let's get to the tower."

Axel was sitting on the ledge of the clock tower. A Sea Salt ice cream bar half eaten in his hand. He was looking out over the tracks, lost in his thoughts. He didn't notice Sora and Demyx until they were sitting next to him.

"You okay?" asked Demyx.

"Huh? Y-yeah, just letting my mind wander a bit." He looked over at them, noticing Sora's new sword. "Think you remember how to swing a sword?"

Sora stuck out his lower lip in a pout. "I can use it just fine. It hasn't been that long."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever you say."

"I'll prove it if you want me to."

Axel smirked as he finished his ice cream in one bite. "Okay then. Let's head back to the woods, we'll have a sparing match there."

_**. . .**_

Sora stood at the ready, the sword clutched loosely, yet ready in his hands. Not wanting to voice it out loud, but it was strange using a different weapon other than the keyblade. He tried not to let it show to the others, but he was feeling a bit nervous.

Axel stood about twenty feet from him, his chakrams appeared in his hands. "Ready or not Sora, here I come!"

He came at the young teen, who instinctively dodged-rolled out of the way. He had spent so much time running lately, that it had become habit. _"No! I promised I would try!"_ Sora thought as he turned and swung the sword back at Axel who blocked it with one of his chakrams.

"Not bad, at least you're trying." Axel shoved him back with a wave of heat. "But, try harder."

Axel was going easy on him and Sora knew it. It irked him. He knew someone like Maleficent wouldn't go easy on him, so why was it suddenly so hard to fight? Was it because he wasn't using the keyblade? Or, was he still afraid? Afraid after the what happened the last time. . .no, he had to stop dwelling on that. As much as it hurt, he was no use to anyone if he couldn't get over his past.

He thought back to the name the shop keeper had given the sword as his words came back to him. _"The Phoenix is a mystical bird that rises from its own ashes."_

It was time for Sora to do the same.

Axel tossed both of his chakrams at Sora. "Head's up!" He shouted, noticing the kid was lost in his thoughts.

"Keep your head in the game!" Demyx called from the sidelines.

Sora jumped up to avoid the first spinning blade as it zipped past and struck back at the second that was coming in fast from his right. The chakram was sent sailing into the canopy where it buried itself in one of the higher branches.

Sora took this chance to rush an attack on Axel. He got two hits in before the other chakram came back and Axel used it to block the rest of the combo. "Not bad." He commented as he pushed back, sending Sora skidding back a few feet.

The teen recovered and tried another attack. He lept into the air and brought the sword down. Axel side-stepped it and struck Sora in the back, sending him skidding face-first in the dirt. Sora stood up and spat out grass and gravel from his mouth. He turned to strike back at Axel when he noticed the nobody was nowhere in sight.

Looking up, he saw that Axel was taking this chance to retrieve his other chakram. Sora went into action and followed Axel up the tree. He wasn't about to give his opponent a bigger advantage then he already had. Giving an extra burst of speed, Sora caught up to the nobody, but he was just a few seconds too late. Axel freed his chakram and jumped away from the tree. The blades started spinning in mid-air as fire began to spiral around them.

"Try blocking this!"

Axel fired a blast of flames which spiraled towards Sora.

Seeing a chance for a possible counter-strike, Sora launched himself away from the tree and aimed straight for the attack. reacting more on instinct than anything, Sora began swinging the blade in a circular motion above his head. When the flames got close enough Sora made his move. He pointed the tip of the blade right at the flames. As flame met steel a strong blast of wind burst forth and swirled around the area. The flames were carried along the wind and struck the nearest trees igniting them into a fiery blaze.

The blast also sent Axel and Sora flying. Both of them landing on either side of the clearing.

Sora was first to recover and began to panic when he saw the trees burning. He looked over at Demyx who was freaking out. "Don't just stand there!" he shouted, "you have water powers! Use 'em!"

"Oh right!" the nobody replied as he summoned his saiter. "Dance Water, Dance!"

He summoned several water clones who rushed towards the trees, colliding with the flames with a hiss as they made contact. It only took a few minutes, but the melody ended as the last water clone doused the only remaining hot spot. Demyx stopped playing and wiped his forehead with the back of his head. "Phew, that almost ended badly."

As the smoke cleared, Sora looked over at the other side of the clearing, Axel still hadn't gotten up yet. Worried for his friend, Sora rushed to his side.

"Axel!"

But the nobody was fully awake and, . . .smiling?!

"Now _**that**_ was fun."

Sora let out a sigh of relief, seeing that the fiery red-head was alright. Axel sat up and brushed off his sleeve. "I admit, I had my doubts, Sora, but you haven't lost your touch."

"It wasn't me, it was the sword," he replied looking down at the blade. "The guy who sold it to me said it has the power over wind."

"Pfft, a weapon doesn't make the warrior. you gotta know how to tap into its power." Axel replied.

Sora helped Axel back on his feet as he surveyed the damage. "Not my biggest fire, but it's close."

"You're actually keeping score?" Demyx asked. He suddenly ducked as a fireball came flying his way.

_~*~STL~*~_

Cloud's world was spinning. The last thing he remembered was falling into the endless regions of space. His head hurt and his vision was blurry. He could only see colors and foggy shapes. He felt cold, but at least he was laying on something solid. He heard muffled voices from somewhere.

Two figures came into his line of sight. One, he made out was skinny with blue-ish grey skin and red hair. The other was heavy-set with a red outfit and something white covering his face. He tried to focus on them, but everything faded to black as he lost consciousness again.

Sally looked down at the man. "His injuries look bad. Do you think you can help him, Mr. Clause?"

The man in the red suit looked concerned. "My elves have more experience in healing then I do, perhaps with the help of some of your healing herbs and their knowledge, but let's hurry and get him out of the cold."

* * *

**_Yes, I did my research. Fenrir can go that fast and after seeing it in action in Advent Children, I don't doubt it. The fight scene was actually inspired by the battle Cloud fought in the tunnel against those two silver-haired thugs. I forget their names, 'cept for Kadaj who was their leader. I haven't decided on a name for Sora's new attack. Then again I was writing the battle scene at 5 in the morning. I'm surprised I was even awake at that hour. I'm not really an early bird. :/_**

**_Next chapter coming soon. _**


	16. Fear

_**Some chapters are so easy, but this chapter was a pain. I had to re-write it twice. The second time because my computer decided to restart on me and when it came back on, the file was totally wiped. TT~TT So, if this chapter seems a bit rushed or short it's because of that. It was originally a lot longer and more detailed. It's still a good chapter though. Hope you enjoy. **_

_**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix. **_

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

Tifa folded her arms as she proudly looked at what the group had made. The Resistance's new name was S.O.R.A. Each letter stood for its own word that stood for everything they fought to protect in honor of the person who had helped them without any regard for his own well-being. Even Riku, who had been grumpy before, was impressed. He secretly wished his best friend was here to see this unfold.

The words that the group had originally placed under each letter didn't exactly fit. Not until Scrooge chimed in with his good common sense. "Are ya all this dim-witted? The word spells out the lad's name. Don't ya think that the other words should reflect him?"

This got everyone to reconsider their ideas and soon more fitting words came forth. Tifa wrote them down and together the group voted on which word fit best. Finally they had achieved a new name and with it, a new hope.

"Now, when Sora gets back and see's this it might just help him go back to being the cheerful, carefree kid we all know and love," said Tifa as she set the marker down.

This was met with applause. The clock on the far wall began to toll, signalling that it was Eleven O'clock. It made Riku remember how tired he was as he failed to stifle a yawn. "Well, that's one battle taken care of." He said as he got up to leave.

"Wait," Tifa called as a few others started to leave as well. "Tomorrow we all start training. I know we don't have much to go on, nor do we have any proper battle strategies yet, but we need to be ready."

This was met with murmurs of agreement. Phil approached Tifa. "Just let me know what kind of training you have planned and I'll set it up in the mornin'. I may not be the kid's trainer no more or Herk's for that matter, but I still know how to train winners."

Tifa nodded her thanks with a smile as she watched him follow the others out. That was when she noticed Riku heading in the opposite direction of his room. He was headed outside. Tifa followed about twenty steps behind.

Once outside, Riku sat down on the front steps of the Master's house. He folded his arms on top of his knees and looked up at the sky.

"You alright?"

He looked behind him to see Tifa standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, I just needed some fresh air."

She took the chance to sit down next to him. "If something's bothering you, you can tell me. I'll keep it a secret."

Riku kept silent, staring ahead into the front yard.

"I know you must've gone through some pretty rough torment as well. Sora tried to keep his suffering to himself, but in the end it overtook him."

Riku blinked in surprise and glanced at her as she continued.

"It was painful seeing him like that. I wanted to help, but I was forced to look away. Seeing him suffering like that, it made me want to shed tears for him. He doesn't deserve to go through this, neither do you and I don't want to see you end up like that."

"That man with the Silver hair, . . ." Riku started, "I wanted to rush in and attack him, but something held me back. Something I thought I had gotten rid of long ago."

"What was that?" she asked.

"Fear."

Riku leaned his back against the stone wall. "I had a chance to get in a surprise attack and Instead I froze."

"Sephiroth does have that effect on people," Tifa replied with a sad tone.

"It wasn't him that scared me though, it was. . ." Riku pictured that moment. When he was too terrified to move. Kairi trapped, and Sora, on his knees bleeding? Defeated? Riku had seen his best friend take down several fearsome and powerful opponents. Yet, he was brought to his knees by this one man?"

Tifa couldn't hear his thoughts, but she seemed to understand.

"Cloud used to have trouble fighting too."

Riku raised an eye brow at her. It was obvious he didn't believe her.

Tifa nodded with a small smile. "It's true. He used to just, not be around. He wouldn't answer his calls, he'd avoid everyone. Sometimes he'd go away for months at a time. He sorta closed himself off from the world. He thought he was protecting everyone that way."

"What made him change?" asked Riku.

"It wasn't easy. In fact, it took the threat of Sephiroth coming back to help him realize what mattered. There was a huge battle and we all helped him defeat a powerful enemy. Just by giving him our support and lending him a bit of our strength."

"And then what? He was fine after that?"

"Well, no. He still had to fight Sephiroth on his own," she admitted, "but he knew that we were always close by if he needed us."

"I'm guessing he lost the fight. If Sephiroth is still around." Riku was beginning to understand why he had feared rushing in blindly to attack the fighter.

"Actually, Cloud won. Sephiroth went away. But, before he vanished Sephiroth told him that he wanted to know what Cloud cherished most so he could take it away from him."

The memory came rushing back to Riku. Sora, laying on the ground, badly injured when their combined attack had failed. Sephiroth approached Sora and pricked the end of his sword against Sora's throat. _"Tell me, what is it you cherish most?"_

Riku's fist clenched tightly. Tifa's concern for him only grew. "Riku?"

"Sephiroth asked Sora the same question."

Tifa's worry grew. She didn't want to make Riku feel worse than he already was, but she knew that wasn't a good sign. "Did he ever say why he attacked Sora?"

Riku shook his head. "When I first got there, he was trying to convince Sora that he was weak and he didn't have the power to save anyone."

"He gets in your head, makes you doubt yourself." Tifa repeated what Cloud had told her long ago.

The weight of the situation just got a whole lot heavier and Tifa found herself breaking under the pressure. Standing up she stretched with a loud yawn. "Well then, We'll just have to train and get stronger, so we can go find him and teach him to stay out of people's heads." She turned to face Riku with a big smile.

Riku knew what she was trying to do. Sora had done the same thing for him countless times before. With a smirk he took her hand, which she had held out to help him stand.

"Right, Training starts tomorrow." he replied before his strength gave out and he fell forward. Tifa caught him. "Or the day after." he added sheepishly.

Tifa let out a giggle as she helped him back upstairs to his room.

_~*~STL~*~_

King Mickey slowly opened his eyes. He felt sore all over, and he wanted to go back to sleep. Reality soon dawned on him and he jolted up into a sitting position. "Oh no! the engines!"

He jumped up and started for the latter that led down to the engine room.

"Your Majesty!" Donald called.

"Not now, Donald. I've gotta- . . .Donald?!" He turned to see the duck piloting the ship with Goofy sitting in the passenger's seat.

"Goofy? What are you two doing here?" asked the king, surprised.

"Master Yen Sid sent us," replied Goofy.

"He said you might need a hand getting more recruits." Donald added.

"Well, I appreciate the help fellas. I managed to get help from two worlds already."

Goofy and Donald exchanged looks before frowning in disappointment.

"Only two?"

"Well," the King scratched the back of his head, "I would have probably been back by now if that villain hadn't attacked my ship. He snuck on board and attacked the engines directly. When I got down there he was swinging a sledge-hammer."

"Gawrsh, doesn't sound like anyone we know," said Goofy.

"I've read about him," replied the king. "I did some research on this part of the galaxy before coming here. In one of the worlds I visited there's a villain who specializes in weapons and explosions. It wasn't long after I left that world that I was attacked."

The king looked out the window. "So, where's my ship? I should probably get started on the repairs."

"Um, your majesty, I hate to tell you, but . . ." Donald gulped. "It exploded."

Mickey's expression slowly shifted from cheerful to shocked to sadness and finally to understanding. "Well, there's nothing to be done about it now. What matters is that no one got hurt."

He approached the map that Goofy had displayed on the screen. "I've already been to these two worlds and I was on my way to this one next when I was attacked."

Mickey pointed to the screen. The world in question seemed to be covered in tall buildings and appeared to be split between night and day.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Donald as he set a course for the new world.

A little while later they arrived outside of the new world. Goofy read the description. "Manhattan Island" he read aloud.

Mickey approached the dash-board and opened a communication channel.

"Who are you calling, your majesty?" asked Donald.

"I managed to get in contact with someone down there and I believe she can help."

There was nothing but static. Mickey adjusted the tuning and called into the speaker. "Hello? Officer Maza? It's Mickey, can you hear me? Come in!"

More static.

Mickey was about to try again when a female voice chimed in. "I read you Mickey, everything alright? I heard a commotion and then the line went dead."

The king smiled. "I'm alright, just had a little engine trouble."

Donald raised an eye brow at the king, but said nothing. The king continued. "I have two friends with me and they're trust-worthy, you said you knew someone who could help me?"

"Yes, but we have to meet in person first. My friends aren't the type that take well to complete strangers." the officer replied.

"I understand. We'll meet you outside of the station." The king waited for her to agree before he ended the call. "Well fellas, what are we waiting for?"

_~*~STL~*~_

Pete made his way around Radiant Garden, being careful not to be spotted by the Restoration Committee. He saw what Leon and the others could do in a fight and didn't feel like adding new bruises to his collection of injuries. He was still trying to recover from a scorch mark on his backside.

He slunk around, trying to find out anything that could lead him to the key-bearer or the resistance base. That's when he saw Aerith walking by. He kept hidden, but as she walked past and kept going he couldn't help a snicker. She didn't look too tough, if he could snatch her, she may tell him what he wanted to know. If she didn't then he'd use her as leverage to get the answers he wanted from someone else.

He followed after her, but she was quicker than he thought. As much as he tried, he eventually lost her. He thought about summoning some heartless, but that would draw a crowd; something he didn't need.

He kept running stopping only when a strange sight caught his eye. A mechanic was knelt down, with his back turned to Pete, but he wore a red battery on his back and Pete realized that he knew him.

Megavolt was busy trying to fix an old radio. It looked like it would never work again, but the power-house rodent was determined to get it working. Something big blocked out the sunlight and Megavolt stopped and looked up.

"Hiya, Megsy. Long time no see."

"Yipe!"

Megavolt jumped up and readied himself for a fight, but when he saw who it was he relaxed. "Oh, it's just you, Pete. I thought you were - it doesn't matter. What d'you want? I'm busy."

Pete chuckled. He didn't know why, but his voice seemed to make Megavolt and the rest of his pals nervous. He enjoyed it.

"Listen Megs, I'm lookin' for a girl who just walked by. She's wearin' a pink dress and has braided brown hair wid' a pretty pink bow. Ya seen 'er?"

Megavolt shrugged. "Sorry, I've been too busy trying to fix up the shop. That water-logged nobody really knows how to make a mess."

"Nobody?" Pete repeated surprised. "That ain't possible, OrganizationXII's been wiped out!"

"You need to get better sources. There's three still running around," Megavolt replied as he went back to work.

"Which ones?"

Megavolt sighed in frustration. He was never going to get this done. "One was blonde and had water powers. The second was Axel. He's not so bad - he pays me well enough for repairs."

"And the other?" Pete asked, trying to measure what he and Melficent would be up against if the Organization was trying to make a comeback.

"I don't remember his name. He had brown, spiky hair and stood about this tall," he held up his hand to indicate the boy's height.

"What kind of powers did he have?" asked Pete.

"Dunno, never saw his weapon. He seemed pretty friendly, but it only reminded me of a do-gooder. He seemed cheerful enough though."

A big smile appeared on Pete's face. _"Bingo." _


	17. Training Begins

_**There's a lot more happening with these characters then I realized. Talk about a busy bunch. At least they're not just lazing around. It's easy sometimes to over-look the fact that each of these guys are main characters in their own stories. **_

_**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix. **_

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

The clock in Riku's room tolled seven O'clock. He moaned as he turned over before slowly sitting up. His silver hair was a bit messy after tossing in his sleep. He raised his arms high in the air as he stretched before getting out of bed.

Heading down to the stairs he braced himself for a crowded kitchen. It'd probably be a while before he could get his breakfast. When he got there he was surprised to find it empty. The dishes were still cleaned and stacked in the drain board and the fridge was still stacked with food. Riku thought something serious was wrong, until Scrooge McDuck walked in.

"Mornin' laddie." he greeted as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Where is everyone?" asked Riku.

"Training."

"This early?"

"Aye, they've been at it since dawn. Tifa's been makin' sure our team will be ready for a fight and Phil's been helpin' her." Scrooge added the cream and took a sip.

"I wish we knew what we were up against." Riku said while he put two slices of bread into the toaster.

"Aye, knowing that witch's plans would make it easier, but it'd be a suicide mission ta go back there. We pulled it off twice, I cannea say if it'd be possible a third time, but don't get your hopes up. The next time we storm the castle is when we put that witch in her place for good."

Riku had to admire the old duck. He had to be pushing up there in age, yet he was just as spunky and gun-ho as any man half his age. He was always positive and had the common sense to see the better answer to a problem that others would over look.

The toast popped up from the toaster and Riku put the slices on a plate. Scrooge headed back outside leaving the boy alone with his thoughts.

Outside things were going well. Phil had everyone in check. Mulan, Aladdin, and several others were doing push ups while Beast was working on a punching bag. Jack Sparrow was doing his best to dodge as targets flew at him. "I don't think this is the best way to train, mate!"

"Tough! Cause you're gonna keep at it until you can dodge these blind-folded!" Phil was in his element and had no tolerance for slackers.

Jack Skellington was running around a makeshift track and puting quite some distance from the other runners. His long legs were a big advantage.

Riku watched them from a window and wanted to get in some training of his own, but he was still on the mend. He didn't want to admit it, but he had never felt so weak. Not since before that fateful night on Destiny Islands at least. At first he thought about blaming his own weakness, but he realized that it would pointless. There was only one person who was the cause of all this. Maleficent. It was her heartless that attacked the castle. She was the one who had used Kairi as a shield and she was the one who cast an aura of darkness on Sora. She had tormented him and his friends for long enough. Riku knew he had to put a stop to it, before it cost him everything.

With one last bite from his breakfast Riku headed back upstairs to his room, but he wasn't going to sleep. He was going to train in his own way. By planning the best way to take down the evil witch.

Merlin was making his way down the stairs when Riku past him. the determined look in the boy's eyes didn't escape the wizard's notice. Merlin cleared his throat, hoping to catch the boy's attention.

"You seem to be healing well. Would you feel up to a little magic practice?"

Riku turned and looked down at the wizard who was four steps lower than him. Riku looked like he was going to refuse ay first before he nodded.

"Sure."

"splendid! I'll meet you in the second floor training room shortly. I have to give these scrolls to Tifa first."

Riku nodded and headed up the stairs, towards the large room Yen Sid had formed to accommodate magical training.

Tifa was taking her turn at the punching bag while Beast had moved on to push ups with Skellington and Sparrow. Tifa saw Merlin and gave the punching bag one last kick before walking up to the wizard who was conversing with Scrooge.

"Aye, it's clear the lad's got something on his mind, I'm just worried it'll get him into trouble sooner or later. We best not leave him alone to his thoughts for too long." Scrooge thought there was something troubling the teen, but he hoped it was nothing. Merlin's observations only seemed to prove the old duck was right.

"What's up?" asked Tifa as she only caught the tail end of what they were saying.

"Seem's Riku's well enough to do some magic training," replied the old duck.

"That's good to hear, I was getting a little worried after last night," Tifa commented while noticing what Merlin had. "Is that it?"

Merlin handed them to her. "Yes, this is all the master could find."

"Good. If this works out like we planned then we may have a chance," she replied as she took the scrolls.

"If the lad can be found of course," Scrooge added.

Tifa smiled at Scrooge's question. "You sound worried, don't tell me you don't think Cloud can't handle a simple rescue mission."

Last night Tifa had come to a realization after talking to Riku. Thinking back to how the soldier had overcome his past convinced her that there was no point worrying. She knew Cloud would come through and she also knew that Sora would be fine. It was impossible to kill such a cheerful, free spirit. Everyone has their bad times, but somehow, they always seemed to come back stronger. She was confident that was the case with Sora. Scrooge's reply pulled her away from her thoughts.

"I never said that, I'm just trying to be reasonable. If Sora doesn't want to be found, I don't think anyone can find him."

Merlin cleared his throat. "I hate to be rude, but I had better check in on Riku. He seemed pretty focused when I left."

With that he took his leave, leaving Tifa and Scrooge to carry on their conversation.

_. . ._

When Merlin entered the room he had to do a double take. The far wall was charred as if hit with a powerful fire spell. The floor to the right was covered in ice and the side wall was covered in package popcorn from the punching bag that was torn apart by a thunder spell. The popcorn was stuck to the wall by static electricity. Merlin looked at the boy who was standing in the middle of the room, trying to catch his breath.

"Riku?"

The teen turned to face the wizard. He was holding a book in his hands. "I found this on the shelf and decided to learn some new magic," he explained.

Merlin was beside himself before his temper returned. "Do you have any idea how foolish that was?! Learning magic without fully understanding it can be dangerous! What if you had been overcome by darkness? There is dark magic within those pages. I should think you wouldn't want a repeat from before?"

Riku tossed the book onto the nearby shelf. "I knew what I was doing. I won't fall into darkness."

Merlin picked up the book and wiped it off. "I certainly hope not. Now," he walked to the other side of the room, "show me what else you can do."

_~*~STL~*~_

Mickey, Donald and Goody were walking along the busy city streets. They were getting strange looks from the people as they went. Goofy felt nervous under pressure.

Donald huffed as a group of punks snickered at them. He was doing a good job of ignoring them until one of them made a duck call. Donald lost it. He charged over to them and rolled up his sleeve.

"What's your problem? you got a thing against ducks?"

"Donald!" Mickey called.

"Yeah, _Donald, _better do what daddy mouse says," the punk laughed.

That did it. Donald launched himself at the thug, but Goofy caught him and held him back. "Easy, Donald. That's not why we're here."

"Better put a collar on your pets, mouse boy." The thug warned Mickey as he and his pals rounded the corner and carried on their way. Donald seethed in anger while Goofy didn't let go until they were long gone.

Mickey placed a comforting hand on Donald's shoulder. "Let it go, we're here for a more important reason, remember?"

It took the trio another hour to locate the police station. By the time the got to the front steps they were exhausted.

"And I thought the Nobody's world was big," Goofy commented as he tried to catch his breath.

Donald and Mickey had to agree. It wasn't the size that made it difficult, it was everything else in it. The large crowds, the traffic - it totally lacked any friendly element.

Well almost.

Mickey and Donald looked over when they heard Goofy laughing. A white dog with several brown markings and a red scarf had pounced on the knight only to jump down and lower his head to the ground, while wagging his tail. Then with a friendly yip he began chasing his tail.

"You sure are a friendly fella." Goofy commented as he pet the dog's head and watched him play.

Donald and Mickey also approached the dog who was now rolling on his back allowing them to rub his tummy. His tail never stopped wagging. Mickey thought he saw the dog wink, but thought he had imagined it.

None of them saw the little brown Chihuahua with a green head-band sneak up from behind. He was about to pull Goofy's money pouch out with his canine teeth when a shadow blocked out his light.

The little dog looked behind him and saw a woman with blue jean pants, a red jacket and shoulder-length black hair glaring down at him.

With a yelp the Chihuahua ran off. The terrier jumped up and followed after him and disappeared into the crowd.

Mickey almost thought he heard the dog shout, "Nice goin' Tito!" but shrugged it off as he turned towards the woman.

"It's pretty bad when even dogs are turning into pick-pockets," she commented, "I'm guessing you must be Mickey?"

"That's King Mickey!" Donald corrected.

"Right, King Mickey," she replied in a soft laugh.

"You must be officer Maza," Mickey addressed her.

_. . ._

Maza led the three through the police station, careful to avoid her captain. She'd be starting her shift soon and wanted a few moments of free time to greet her friends before she went on patrol.

"Gawrsh, it must be hard protecting a city as big as this every night," Goofy commented.

"I have help," she replied with a smirk.

She was about to round the corner that led to a small door when her partner Matt Bluestone approached. "Why didn't you tell me the circus was in town?"

Donald's feathers began to bristle at that comment when Maza calmed the situation. "Don't tell me you've never seen a cos-player."

"A what?" Her response caught him off-guard.

"People who go to conventions and dress up as their favorite characters. You know, Final Fantasy, Super heroes-"

"-Oh yeah, nerds," Bluestone finished.

Donald was about to unleash his wrath when Mickey clamped his beak shut and Goofy held him back.

Maza tried to lose him. "Look, I've got to take care of these three. I'll meet you downstairs in twenty."

Matt still wasn't sure, but he agreed and headed to wait outside by her car.

"Who was that?" Donald growled as the others let him go.

"My partner. He's kinda rough around the edges, but he softens up once you get to know him."

She opened up the door to the wall and beckoned for them to follow. It led into a storage room. Donald was about comment when she pulled down a step ladder to the floor above. When the three got to the top of the stairs they were surprised by what they saw.

They were in what looked like an old clock tower. It kind of reminded the trio of the clock tower back in Twilight Town. Over in the corner there was an easy-chair with a small television set and farther down from that was a stove and counter-top. There were a few pillows in another corner as well. It seemed like someone had turned this place into their home.

"So," Donald looked around, "where are you friends?"

Maza looked outside at the fading light. "They'll be here soon."

Donald had gotten fed up with waiting and decided to make himself comfortable on the chair while Goofy explored the tower a bit.

He stopped when he came across a strange statue. "This looks kinda familiar."

Maza approached the statue and examined it. "This one's new, I wonder who it is?"

Suddenly its eyes lit up bright yellow as it broke out from the wall and swung it's sword at the two. Goofy raised his shield as the sword struck against it.

More of the creatures appeared, some identical to the first while the others wielded a spiked-mace.

"Heartless!" Mickey shouted as his keyblade appeared in his hand. Donald sprung into action as well with an ice spell, freezing one of the heartless, allowing his king to take it down with one strike.

One of the heartless was about to launch itself at Maza, but it soon vanished in a cloud of dark mist as Goofy's shield cut through it with ease. Maza nodded her thanks as she pulled out her side-arm and fired at one of the heartless. It struck true, but it wasn't enough to defeat it.

The heartless turned and swung it's sword in the air before striking it into the ground, summoning more of its kind. The four were now vastly out-numbered. Still, they fought on. Donald went to strike a group of them with a lightning attack when Goofy was knocked back into him. The attack missed the heartless and hit the TV causing it to short out.

Maza was backing Mickey up when she went to fire and realized she was out of ammo. "Not now!"

The heartless she had been aiming at jumped into the air and charged at her, but something big stopped it cold.

Maza opened her eyes and realized they were no longer out-numbered.

The sun had set.

* * *

**_Yes, Maza knows what Final Fantasy is. (not really, I just thought it'd be fun to throw it in there. x3 ) _**


	18. New Allies and a New Look

_**I don't know what to say guys, All of these reviews, favs and follows? Thank you. I didn't think this story would be anything special, but you've helped it become something great. It never would've gotten this far without your support. And even if I have not replied to every review, know that I have read them all and I appreciate every compliment and critique. Your input has only made this story better and your support will only increase its quality, because Not only do I want to tell a good story, but I want to write a story worth telling. There are many great things still to come and more new characters to be revealed. I'll also try to fit in more cameos as some of you seemed to enjoy what happened in the last chapter ;)**_

_**But, enough of my blabbing time for the disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all of its characters belong to Disney and Square Enix.**_

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

As the last rays of the sun faded from the sky the six statues sitting outside of the clock tower began to crack. The chipping increased until the outer layer of stone broke away as six powerful Gargoyles roared to life.

They entered through the opening into the clock-tower; their home, and the sight that greeted them stunned them for a moment. Their friend and three others, under attack by strange, winged creatures.

The clan's leader would have none of that. With a mighty roar he lept into action, catching the heartless that was aiming its sword at the detective in mid-air.

His eyes began to glow a bright white as he growled in its face. "You are trespassing." His voice was deep and fully described how powerful he was.

When the heartless tried to break free the gargoyle threw it into four others causing them all to vanish. That set off a chain reaction as the other members of his clan lept into the fray.

The red gargoyle stood next to Goofy to lend his aid, while the smaller yellow one assisted Donald and the king. The large green one helped Maza while the older brown gargoyle and the dark blue one that resembled a dog teamed up.

The first gargoyle stood on his own, it was safer that way. He took out most of the first wave while the others used their skills to take care of the rest.

It didn't take long before all of the heartless were nothing more than dissipating wisps of dark smoke. Soon nothing was left. Maza let out a sigh of relief when they were safe. "You guys have the best timing."

The leader folded his wings over his shoulders like a cloak and placed a gentle claw on her shoulder. "Elisa, you're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks to you and to my new friends here," she stated, waving a hand in the trio's direction.

The gargoyle approached them. Donald and Goofy gulped, but Mickey kept his calm. "It's alright fellas, gargoyles are protectors. They don't attack unless provoked."

"Tell that to the heartless gargoyles," Donald replied.

"Excuse me?" growled the red gargoyle.

Mickey sighed. It was clear he'd have to defuse the situation. "That's what the creatures we just defeated are called. There are several different kind of heartless. Those are known as gargoyles, but obviously they're noting like the real thing."

"Indeed," replied the leader, "Now that the fighting is over, I think it's best if we start the introductions. I am called Goliath."

"Hi, I'm Broadway," added the green one.

"Brooklyn," said the red one.

"Lexington," chimed in the yellow one. "and that's Hudson and Bronx," he finished pointing to the older brown one first and then the dog who wagged his small tail.

"Nice to meet you, I'm King Mickey and these are my friends, Donald and Goofy."

"What brings you here?" asked Broadway.

Mickey's cheerful smile faded. "We need your help."

_~*~STL~*~_

Pete chuckled to himself as he made his way through the halls that led to Ansem's study. Maybe he could find something about the resistance on the computer. There wasn't much of anything in the study worth goin' through. The place was still a mess. Pete didn't think it had ever been cleaned.

He slunk around to the computer room, being careful in case someone was in there. He peeked around the corner, but walked in with confidence when he realized he was alone. He smiled like a naughty child when he saw the computer unguarded.

He walked over to the keyboard and began typing in a search.

"Resistance Location"

_"Access denied, please enter password"_ came a male computer voice.

Pete tried again.

"King Mickey"

_"Access denied"_

"Key Blade Runt"

_"Access denied"_

"Work you stupid thing!" Pete slammed his fist onto the keyboard, but stopped when he felt something sharp poking him in the back.

"What are you doing here?" The voice belonged to Leon. The gun-blade was pointing at the villain's back and he wasn't going to lower his guard until he got an answer.

_"He's been trying to search the computer."_ replied the male computer voice from before.

"Wha- you mean you can hear me?!" Pete shouted at the computer.

_Yes, and feel. That punch hurt by the way."_ he replied.

"Tron, what was he searching for?" Leon was liking this less and less.

_"His exact searches were; Resistance Location, King Mickey, and Key Blade Runt." _replied Tron.

The sword tip poked harder into Pete's back. "You won't get your answers here. We're the Restoration Committee, we only care about restoring our world. We don't care about what goes on outside of it. Now, leave before I show you what we do to trespassers in Radiant Garden."

Pete saw the glare from Leon's gaze and knew he meant it. With a nervous gulp he opened a portal of darkness and rushed into it.

After it closed Leon dropped his act and let his shoulders sag a bit. "That was too close."

_"I thought you did good. I believed you."_ replied Tron.

Leon smirked before making sure the villain didn't get what he was looking for.

_~*~STL~*~_

When Mickey and the others had finished telling their story the gargoyles were speechless. Well, almost all of them.

"In all my years I have seen some strange things," began Hudson, "but I have yet to see any proof of other worlds and this Kingdom Hearts you speak of."

"You saw the proof first-hand. Those heartless are all the evidence you need," said Mickey.

"And what about us?" asked Donald. "Have you seen anything like us before?"

Goliath held his chin in his claw as he thought. It was a lot to take in, but he couldn't think of any of their enemies that could pull off such a scheme. "It is hard to believe, but after everything we've been through it would be wrong to refuse to help, especially after they protected Elisa until we awoke."

"So, you'll help us?" asked Goofy.

Goliath nodded, "Yes."

The three relaxed and smiled, obviously grateful.

"So what about this Sara kid? If he's human like Elisa, how does he fight these monsters?" asked Broadway.

"That's Sora!" Donald corrected.

"With one of these," Mickey replied as his golden kingdom key appeared in his hand. "It's called a Keyblade and only a chosen few can wield one."

Brooklyn focused his gaze on the blade, he wasn't impressed. "I hope the kid's strong, that thing doesn't look like it can do much good."

"You'd be surprised," Goofy chimed in.

"So, when do we leave?" asked Lexington.

"Not yet," Mickey replied. "First we have to go to other worlds and try to find more help. Your's is the third world I've visited in search of more fighters."

"Is this witch really that strong?" asked Brooklyn, "I mean, how bad can she be?"

Donald and Goofy exchanged sorrowful glances at one another before Goofy answered. "She's real bad, so bad that I'm worried about our friend."

Donald looked down at the floor. Mickey was concerned about what the two meant, but when Donald caught his king's glance, he looked the other way. That was a bad sign.

"Your friend?" asked Goliath.

"He got hurt trying to fight her and he still hasn't recovered yet. That was almost a month ago," replied Donald.

Elisa gave Goliath a look who nodded in understanding. "Very well, we shall be ready to aid you in this coming battle, but we can only move freely during the night. I'm afraid that you shall be on your own during the day."

Mickey nodded and held up his hand. "It's a deal then?"

Goliath held out his clawed hand to shake the king's.

"Deal."

_~*~STL~*~_

His head was throbbing. That was the first thing Cloud realized upon waking up. It took a bit of effort, but he managed to open his eyes. He instantly regretted it and shut them again. The room he was laying in was very bright. White walls decorated with green and red. The scent of gingerbread was thick in the air. As he took a few deep breaths he winced as he felt a sharp stabbing pain on his side, just under his arm.

It was painful, but he managed to rise into a sitting position. He felt dizzy and his side only hurt more. He thought about laying back down when someone entered the room.

Sally had come in to check on her patient. She carried a tray that held fresh bandages and medicine to re-treat his injuries. She nearly dropped the tray when she saw him sitting up.

"Oh, you're awake? That's good, but please don't push yourself, you're still badly injured."

She pulled up a chair and sat in front of him as she began to change the bandage on his shoulder. Cloud's head was still hurting, but he managed the pain enough to ask a question.

"Where am I?" He wanted to ask more, but his headache wouldn't allow it.

"You're in Christmas Town, of course. Mr. Clause and I found you injured and pinned under a strange machine. We didn't think you'd make it at first, but after a few days of close calls, I'm confident that you'll make a full recovery, provided you don't try to move around."

Cloud winced as he held the side of his head with his good arm, that's when he noticed something different. Poking out of his hair was something soft, and it hurt when he pulled on it.

"Mirror."

"Excuse me?" asked Sally, she hadn't heard him.

"I need a mirror," he repeated.

Sally was confused, but thought he just wanted to see his head injury. she got up and headed into the nearby bathroom and returned a moment later with a small mirror.

Cloud looked at his reflection and blinked a few times to let his appearance sink in. That strange thing poking out from his head was a fluffy ear and he had a matching pair. his human ears were no where to be seen. His eyes held a richer shade of blue and almost seemed to glow. They reflected the light in a strange way, similar to how a dog's eyes would reflect light. He also noticed he had fangs.

"What happened to me?" He asked.

He could tell by the way his head hurt that he had a concussion, but there was no injury he knew of that could cause this to happen. He looked over at the woman next, noticing for the first time what she was.

Her skin wasn't just pale, she was blue-ish grey. Her limbs looked like they had been stitched to her and her face held that blank zombie look. Just what was she? He was about to ask when it suddenly dawned on him. This had to be Jack Skellington's world. The world of monsters, where Halloween was something they specialized in. His new appearance began to make sense, yet it never occurred to him that he'd be a werewolf of all things. If anything, he expected a vampire.

"Did I do something wrong?" Sally asked. she had thought he was examining the bandage she had wrapped around his head injury.

He shook his head. "No, I'm just trying to remember what happened." He didn't want to lie to her, not after she was trying to help, but he wasn't sure if he should damage the world order even more than it already was. The less people who knew about it the better.

Sally changed the bandages and examined each injury. Cloud didn't complain, though it was painful when he had to raise his arms so she could remove his shirt and change the bandage around his middle. Along with the concussion, he had three broken ribs, a stab wound to his right shoulder and several bruises.

When she had finished she went to help him put his shirt back on, but decided against it when she noticed he was still in pain.

She was about to ask something when a heavy-set man in a red suit entered the room. "So, Miss Sally, how is our patient?"

"On the mend, Mr. Clause."

_"Clause?"_ Cloud looked the man up and down. Was this really the fabled Santa Clause that delivered toys to the world's children in a single night? He never believed in him as a kid, yet after seeing him in the flesh, he almost found it comical.

"Has Miss Sally filled you in?" he asked the soldier.

"Filled me in?"

"I was just about to," she replied.

She turned to Cloud and began. "After Jack left to help the resistance, Mr. Clause agreed to let the citizens of Halloween town evacuate to Christmas Town if Maleficent were to attack. I've been helping set up accommodations should the worst befall our believed town. Mr. Clause and I were walking up the hill to go meet with the mayor when we saw something fall from the sky. It looked like a falling star at first, but when we arrived we found you pinned under a black machine with wheels."

Cloud was a bit relieved to hear that. At least Fenrir landed on the same world. He only hoped it wasn't too badly damaged. "What about the heartless?"

"There weren't any. Perhaps they didn't survive the fall," she continued, "you were lucky. There was a sword that was sticking out of your shoulder,-"

_"Stabbed by one of my own swords, nice."_ he thought sarcastically to himself.

"-it was a long blade, at least ten feet and very thin," she held out her arms as she described it.

Cloud's previous thought vanished. That sword only fit one description and it wasn't one of his. His left hand clenched into a tight fist.

"Sephiroth."

Cloud tried to get up, but both Sally and Santa stopped him.

"Where are you going? You're in no condition to be moving around." Santa scolded him like he was a little kid, but the stone-cold look in Cloud's eyes was dangerous. The glowing abilities of a werewolf only added to the intimidating gaze.

"I have to go, before he gets too far away," again he tried to sit up, but in his weakened state, the two others easily held him down.

"What good will you be in your condition? Friend or foe, you can't face this Sephiroth with these injuries, it'd be a miracle if you made it out the front door."

Cloud turned towards Santa and glared at him. "Sephiroth's no friend. He's my sworn enemy!"

"Then why are you trying to give him an easy victory?"

Sally placed a comforting hand on his injured shoulder. "Please, your injuries need time to heal, but it shouldn't take as long as you think. A werewolf heals quickly. You should be fully recovered within a week. A normal person would need much longer."

With a painful sigh, Cloud admitted defeat and relaxed. He let Sally administer some medicine and was soon asleep.

Once she was positive he was out the two left the room.

"He sure is a stubborn one," commented Santa.

"Yes, I hope we've done the right thing," Sally replied, "I hope he's a friend and not an enemy of the resistance."

Santa gave a soft chuckle. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that one. Whether he believes in me or not, I still have his name on my list."

"Which list?" she couldn't help but ask.

Santa stroked his beard in thought. "Well, it has changed from time to time, but for the majority of his life, Cloud Strife has been on the good list."

"Is that where he is now?" Sally sounded slightly nervous, but Santa dispelled her fear when he nodded with a calm smile.


	19. Reveal

_**Not a very long chapter, and I apologize for that. But things are just setting up. The next few chapters are going to be pretty big in terms of moving the plot along. I recently got a massive overdose of inspiration. From two great sources a good friend and a great series. an update should come soon.**_

_**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix. **_

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

During the night, King Mickey and his friends had learned much about the Gargoyles. Their tragic past and their wondrous present and their hopes for the future.

"Gosh, you guys sure have been through a lot," Mickey commented.

"And you've been keeping yourselves pretty busy, protecting the city and all," added Goofy.

"Yeah, it's not an easy job, but somebody's gotta do it." Broadway was over by the stove, cooking himself something to eat. He offered his guests some, but they politely refused.

"I know we're asking a lot of your clan, Golaith. As much as I'd appreciate the help, I would understand if you chose not to reconsider. I just don't feel it's fair to ask the last of your clan to put themselves in danger for our cause." Now that Mickey knew the story, he was feeling guilty about asking their new friends to risk everything.

Goliath raised up a claw. "Nonsense, your cause is just, and besides, a gargoyle's duty is to protect. I cannot and will not ignore the needs of others if we can make a difference."

"Are you coming too, Elisa?" Donald looked over at the detective who had been silent during the story.

"Wish I could, but I've got to hold the fort here," she felt bad that she couldn't tag along, but there were two big cases sitting on her desk and they couldn't be ignored.

Hudson, who had been watching TV on his recliner glanced up at the clock's stained glass. Noticing that the sky was getting lighter he turned off the TV and got up. "The dawn is approaching."

The other gargoyles began to follow him up the steps. Goliath was last and turned to his new allies. "When the time comes, we'll be ready."

With that he turned and headed up the steps and out the glass door. Out of curiosity, Donald and Goofy followed them and watched in amazement. The gargoyles were flesh one moment and as the first rays of sunlight lit up the sky they turned to stone.

. . .

A few hours later the Gummi Ship was once again cruising through space, heading to the next world. Donald was piloting and Goofy was navigating. Mickey had just returned from doing the maintenance on the ship. Something had been bothering him since they left Manhattan Island. It was time he got some answers.

"Donald, what did you mean before, about a friend that was recovering?"

Donald's eye glistened with pain. He didn't know how to tell the king.

"Goofy?" Mickey turned to his knight. He didn't answer either.

"Will somebody answer me?"

Their silence only left the king with one clue. His subjects cared deeply for many people, but not many could cause this kind of reaction if they were in trouble.

"Tell me,... what happened,... to Sora." This time the king demanded it.

It was Goofy who finally turned his chair around.

"We really are sorry, King Mickey. We wanted to tell ya sooner, but...it hurt too much."

After his knight revealed the fate that had befallen the young keyblade wielder Mickey looked down in sorrow.

"Riku was just as surprised as we were when Sora said he'd never use the keyblade again, but I hope he didn't mean it," Goofy finished.

The king nodded. "I hope not either, but it's partly my fault. I thought Minnie and Kairi would be safe in the Hall of the Cornerstone. I never thought it could be destroyed."

Mickey felt so horrible. What was suppose to be a day to honor them had turned into a nightmare. What hurt him the most was the torture Sora went through.

"It's gotta be that Sephiroth, he must be a different kind of darkness, one that has some sorta resilience against the light's power," Goofy explained.

"And Now Sora's somewhere out there without a keyblade and running from the darkness and his friends. I can't imagine how alone he must feel." surmised the king.

"But,... if Cloud's out there lookin' for him we shouldn't worry too much. I've heard about some of the things he's done and I'm willing to put my faith in him."

Goofy smiled at this and turned to look at the screen. "So, where do we go next?"

Mickey looked up at the screen and scanned the worlds carefully. "That one. It's far away, but I have a feeling that world offers a lot of help. Donald, full speed ahead!"

"Yes sir, you're majesty!"

At first, Donald was in pain, but he trusted his king and hoped that they'd make it in time to save their friend.

The Gummi Ship put in an extra burst of speed as it continued its journey through the stars.

_~*~STL~*~_

Maleficent walked along one of the newly repaired halls of her palace. Finally it was a fortress worthy of her magnificent evil. Looking out a window she marveled at her greatest achievement. A large, black tower which stood twenty stories tall cast an ominous shadow over the palace grounds. Resting at the top of this tower was a darkness of her own creation. A Cornerstone of Darkness. Its dark aura pulsed from the orb which was twice the size of the shattered stone of light.

The witch was confident that this would weaken any creature of light that was foolish enough to challenge her awesome might. Even now, she could feel her own dark powers feeding off the magnificent glow of dark energy.

A corridor of darkness opened just down the hall, causing the witch to turn and face it. Not a few seconds later Pete ran through, looking quite panicked. The witch's good mood faltered when she noticed he had returned empty-handed.

Pete stopped once he was in the clear to catch his breath. "Sheesh, I gotta get in better shape!"

He didn't see Maleficent until she used her dark powers to throw him into the far wall.

He collapsed to the ground and rubbed the back of his head before looking up at her in fear.

"Fool! I warned you not to return without Sora! Your usefulness is at an end!"

"Wait!" he shouted, waving his hands defensively. "Wait, please! I know where he is!"

She stopped, but still glared at him with hateful eyes.

"Speak."

"The reason we can't find him is because he's with the nobodies! I heard from an old pal 'o mine. He told me the punk was wearin' a black coat and walking around with two of them guys from the Organization! Those cloaks of theirs protects them from attracting the heartless, that's why I couldn't find him. and who knows, if he's with the Organization he might have a heartless running around already!"

Pete covered his head, preparing himself for the worst, but it never came. He chanced a peek and saw that Maleificent had calmed down and was processing this new information.

"This is interesting news. I did not sense a strong light succumbing to darkness, but no matter. Hunting those fools down should be simple enough."

"So, I did good?" asked Pete.

The smile on the witch's face told Pete all he needed to know.

_~*~STL~*~_

Hades had returned to his home in the underworld. Maleficent had requested he look for both the resistance and the keyblade wielder. He didn't have time on his busy schedule for both so he decided to stick to the easier task of finding the resistance. Now in his personal chamber he paced near the table he always had set up for his strategies.

With a wave of his hand, dark smoke engulfed the board, changing the game pieces. One one side in a mystery corner were pieces that resembled the known faces of the resistance. The ones he had seen in the vision showing the day Sora had been rescued. He studied each member, carefully weighing his options. Some of them were chumps and pushovers. The old duck was no problem, and neither was the pirate or the street rat. The skeleton king may offer a challenge, but there was one member that Hades had to be very careful around.

Now, how to go about finding them. I can always send in a monster to take them down. but I gotta find 'em first."

The ringing sound of clashing steel caught his attention. There must've been a match in the underdrome going on. Curiosity getting the better of him, Hades decided to take a little gander.

Three large bodies and two neo shadows were facing down one lone warrior. He wielded a broadsword and fought the heartless with great skill. It didn't take very long for the warrior to be proclaimed the winner. This gave Hades an idea.

_~*~STL~*~_

Riku stood in in front of the master's desk in his study. He was forced to wait while the wizard and the sorcerer spoke about his earlier training. It was strange. He didn't feel weak anymore. After looking through that book he found what appeared to be a stronger healing spell than Cure. He cast it on himself and he didn't just feel recovered, he felt stronger.

The door to the next room opened and the two elders emerged. Merlin stood next to the chair as Master Yen Sid took his seat. Riku couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"So," the master began, "I understand you've been studying a certain book of spells."

"Y-yes sir." Why did he feel like he had done something wrong?

Master Yen sid stroked his beard in thought. "You seem to be feeling better. Tell me, did you cast a spell on yourself from that book?"

Again, this made Riku nervous. "Yeah, a healing spell."

"Hmm, very interesting."

Riku didn't know how much more he could take. I wished they'd quit beating around the bush and explain.

"You seem to have a special talent," the master finally replied. It wasn't what Riku had expected.

"What do you mean?"

"That book is full of spells that have yet to be perfected. I imagine your use of the elemental spells had poor results?"

"Yeah, I couldn't control them very well," he admitted. The ice shards sticking out of the wall and the static cling were purely accidents.

"But, most couldn't control them at all. That is why that book remained here. The magic it contains is very different and far more potent than the kind another magic user, say Donald for example, can wield."

"So, you're saying I can?" asked Riku, no longer nervous, but curious and perhaps a little excited.

"All that is known is that you have the potential. if you can learn to control it then perhaps the mysteries of that book will be answered by you, Riku. Will you except this training?"

Riku looked down at his hands. He thought about everything that had happened in the past few months, especially this last month. If he could become stronger then, maybe he could face his fear and, face that monster.

"I accept."

Master Yen Sid studied the boy's eyes. They were focused and determined.

"Very well, Merlin shall oversee your training."


End file.
